A Pirate's Life is Wonderful
by Ichobana Rose
Summary: A ruthless Captain searches the seas hunting Jack Sparrow, a Lord's daughter runs away from marrying the man her father chose for her, and Jack's sister can't seem to stay out of life-threatening situations!
1. Chapter 1

**A Pirate's Life is Wonderful**

**Prologue  
**

Thunderheads rumbled ominously above the brightly lit pirate town located comfortably on one of the Canary Islands , but no one took notice. Men guzzled down barrel after barrel of rum as women flirted nonstop, batting their long eyelashes and fawning over the seafaring men that inhabited their saloons. Loud laughter drowned out the thunder, and an occasional gunshot filled in the spaces of silence that the guffawing overlooked. Slaves hurried about the narrow street that separated the two pubs from each other, and they filed solemnly from one boarding house to the other, picking up trash or collecting more rum for their intoxicated owners.

Three women slaves, nervously swaying in front of a boarding house, stopped their motions and their quiet whimpering as a stranger, a man they hadn't seen before, stepped into the alleyway. Eyes widened as the women moved back, as if to hide, as the man before them stalked towards the loudest pub in the port. There was something about him, whether it was his piercing blue eyes that glowered angrily or the dangerous step in his walk, the women couldn't tell. Ominous darkness hovered about him like a shroud, and the slaves slunk back into the recesses of the buildings, feeling safer in the shadows than out in the lamplight with this man.

Captain Aaron Savage was indeed a dangerous man, possessing a black heart even more wicked than the blackness of the Jolly Roger. He hadn't been heard of in years, and certainly not by any of the pirates or their many slaves and wenches. While intimidating, he walked like an Englishman, for he had, at one point in time, been such a person. But bitter hatred for an older brother had led him to murder, and there was nothing left for him afterwards but flight. So fly he did, but not without evil intentions and a lust for revenge that darkened every good character trait he may have had.

The banqueting and drinking pirates had no knowledge whatsoever of Captain Savage's ruthless planning as he stepped into their saloon. Their drunken minds couldn't understand why the piano playing stopped. They couldn't grasp why the women stopped their giggling and pawing and stared at the open doorway, eyes wide and mouths agape. They were thrilled by the intruder's charm as well as mesmerized by his cruelty. In his piercing eyes, they saw a strange beauty. Instead of seeing his figure as being strong and intimidating, they saw it as desirous and exquisitely handsome. His face, dark with a mysterious depth, drew them in, enticing them and luring them like a worm on a hook. They wanted to run their fingers through his dirty-blonde hair, pulled back into a small ponytail at the nape of his neck, and they wanted to hold him close. Had they know the death that he brought along with him, they would have been terrorized.

Captain Savage smiled to himself when he saw all of the boisterous and noisy pirates, and he called, just loudly enough for everyone to hear him, "I'm looking for Captain Jack Sparrow. Do any of you louses know where he is?"

The pirates all laughed at him, slamming their kegs on the table or cuddling their wenches close. Venom glittered in Aaron's eyes as he nodded his head slowly.

"Very well. If none of you wish to help, then I leave you with two options. You may join me and my crew in our search for said captain, or you may all perish in your rum and merry making."

More laughter followed that remark, and Aaron remained complacent and cool, his eyes speaking volumes to the voluptuous women in the building. The women, all strangely enamored with the man, left their pirates and moved to the captain, immediately grabbing hold of him and smiling up at him expectantly as he turned away from the men and made his way out of the pub.

"Excellent choice, ladies," he whispered, turning his head slightly to look back at the pub.

Something fearful occurred then. Captain Savage's eyes slowly changed color from a crystalline blue to a glittering white. An evil smile tugged at the man's lips as he stared at the saloon. The thunder roared overhead, the waves in the ocean began to churn violently, and five immense bolts of lightning struck down from the sky, impaling the pub with their electric power.

Instantly, the saloon burst into an erupting ball of fire, sending flames licking high up into the air and leaving nothing save for a burned black hole in the earth. The women screamed and tried to run, terrified out of their minds by the unearthly spectacle, but Aaron was far stronger than they had believed him to be. His hands locked like iron around their thin wrists and arms, holding them firmly in place. Five of the women escaped, only to crash into the awaiting arms of Savage's crew, rough, violent men with no good intentions whatsoever.

Captain Savage ignored the screams of the women and the burnt smell of the non-existent pub and dragged his prisoners onto his ship.

The _Steel Maiden _was the largest ship existing in all of the Seven Seas and boasted one hundred cannons. Her crew was composed of one hundred fifteen men, and aboard the ship were prisoners, both humans and animals. It was a proud ship, with an even prouder captain, as Cpt. Savage demonstrated with a smirk as he moved to the helm of the ship and shouted orders to his men.

"Hoist anchor! Set the sails! The hunt for Jack Sparrow continues!"

His men shouted heartily, shooting wicked glances at the women cowering in the corner of the ship as they moved to obey orders. Their captain was not a man to be tangled with, and they knew, if they obeyed and did as told, not only would they live another day, but they'd have plenty of pleasure to go along with it. And if they helped their captain obtain the treasure that he sought, they'd have even happier lives.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

"Ok, Hawk, you're _sure_ we've never been here?" Joanna adjusted her hat nervously, tucking any loose strands of her hair into the bandana under the worn tricorn.

"Come _on_, Joanna," Eliza Hawk rolled her eyes at her companion. "Have I ever lead you wrong before? Don't answer that. The point is, if I'm ever wrong, we would be dead. And we're still alive aren't we?" Hawk, unlike her companion, was dressed in a pirate shirt tucked into a skirt that had once swished at her ankles. She didn't bother to hide her femininity, which was important to the sort of lifestyle that she and Joanna carried out.

Joanna, who was still tucking hair under her bandana and hat, didn't bother to answer her friend's question. She was dressed in a maroon pirate shirt with a black leather vest over it and had a heavy leather belt holding up her breeches. Her black boots had seen better days but were still in good condition.

Bourbon, the falcon that traveled with the two women, ruffled his feathers worriedly. He was perched on Joanna's left fist on a hefty leather glove that prevented his formidable talons from tearing her skin open. Joanna nuzzled him and cooed, "Shh, mate, we'll be fine. If you see any trouble, you'll let us know, aye? Especially that Adelinde Smith."

Bourbon nodded and took off so he could perch on the roof of the tavern his mistress was approaching. The falcon had traveled with Joanna ever since she had rescued him from a market in Singapore, and had saved her life countless times. True, he was an oriental bird and so unusual in the Caribbean, but normally the natives took no notice of him.

Taking a deep breath, Joanna tucked the falconer's glove into her belt, looking for all the world like a young sailor boy whose arrogance would be his undoing. Joanna, known as John while in this disguise, counted on the perceived arrogance of her character to make her living. "Alright, my love," she said in her confident Scottish accent, catching Eliza by the arm, "Let's have a drink."

They entered the noisy tavern, "John" smirking cockily and Eliza giggling on "his" arm. Hawk immediately drew several stares. Her hair hung loose to her waist and she laughed and flipped it over her shoulder several times in a flirtatious way, trying to get attention.

"I'll get us some drinks, darling," Joanna said, disentangling herself from Eliza Hawk. Hawk looked appropriately reluctant to leave, but found a table and began flirting with the men around her. Every man who didn't already have a wench on his arm, and a few who did, was drawn in like moths to light. Hawk performed her part well.

Joanna, waiting for the bartender to notice her, was listening intently to the gossip around her. She had always found that drunken men always tended to sing like birds about anything in particular. Most of them held grudges against her brother, but no one had heard from him in months. She listened mostly for news of him, but for other news too. Today, the headline was disturbing.

"Saw the remnants meself," said a grizzled old sailor, nursing a pint. "Naught left but th' doorframe. Frightful explosion, must've been."

"I 'eard it was a demon," another man, even older and more grizzled than the first, called helpfully.

That drew a series of guffaws from everyone.

"If you want my opinion," the bartender said gruffly, passing out drinks to the appropriate customers, "I think someone was probably smoking too close to the rum stores. Bloke probably blamed it on demons to get hisself outta trouble."

"If he survived," said the first man.

The eerie silence that followed was enough for everyone to take long gulps of their drinks to chase the shivers away.

Joanna, who had been listening intently, jumped when the bartender slammed the two mugs she'd ordered in front of her. She nodded her thanks and turned to where Eliza Hawk was still flirting. Hawk was now surrounded, and Joanna had to shove her way through the crowd to get to her friend. Sometimes Hawk did her job a little too well. No matter, Joanna loved putting on a show, and the audience helped loads.

"Alright, you big lugs," the Scottish "boy" who was barely over five feet tall called loudly as he pushed his way roughly through the crowd. "She came with me, now leave off."

The crowd around her roared with laughter. Hawk appeared to look reproachful.

"Look here, young buck," a huge man said, good naturedly grasping Joanna by the front of her shirt and lifting her off the floor. "It don't look like the lass is leavin' with you. Let some others have their fun."

Joanna continued to look defiantly at the man who so casually held her aloft. "Alright," she said, "I'll drink ye for her. Any of the lot of ye."

More guffaws ensued, and the big man dropped her. Joanna landed gracefully on her feet, one of the perks of being female.

"Look here," said the big man again, "You don't want to try that son."

"Don't I?" John asked, drawing the pistol from the heavy leather belt and cocking it as she aimed at the big man. "It's we drink for her, or someone dies. Your choice."

The big man was more annoyed than frightened by the Scottish boy with the pistol. "Alright, if that's the way ye want it, son. I'll buy, so I can spare you."

Inwardly, Joanna leaped for joy. She knew she had done her job well when someone else offered to pay. Outwardly, she seemed to consider, and slowly lowered her pistol. "Alright," she conceded, stealing a glance at her friend. Hawk had a worried look on her face. It scared her more when Joanna went up against the larger men, since they could drink more than normal competitors. Still, it was her job to collect bets, not to question Joanna's show.

"Here, bartender," the large man called, silencing the rest of the tavern. "Drinks for young buck and me. First one to fall over or lose consciousness loses. You know the drill."

This was interesting to Joanna, but didn't sway her confidence. It was more fun when the tavern she visited had experience with this particular drinking game. This man in front of her seemed to be a veteran.

"Anyone want to take bets?" Hawk asked innocently. There was a chorus of laughter, but she was used to that.

"Sure, I'll bet against your boy, sweetheart," one man said, grinning toothlessly. "But how are you going to repay me when he's on the floor?"

"Oh, I'm sure you'll think of something," Hawk said, batting her eyes innocently. This response inspired many other men to bet against John. Hawk was the only one who dared bet for her friend.

"If you're through," the bartender said, as the last bet was pocketed somewhere in the folds of Hawk's skirt. "I'll start with the drinks."

There was complete silence throughout. The entire tavern was watching for the outcome of the game. Drinks were plunked in front of Joanna and the large man who had picked her up as they sat across from each other at the table. Careful to time her movements to match his exactly, Joanna and the man began to drink the rum.

Adelinde Smith wandered through the town, not really expecting to find that which she searched. He was infamously hard to locate, this man she sought, and it seemed that he had passed this trait to his sister. Still, all she had to do was search the rooftops for the falcon…

The tavern had gone completely silent. No one had expected this. The small Scottish boy was matching the large man drink for drink, moving methodically at exactly the same speed. However there were marked differences between the two competitors. The large man's fingers were twitching and he swayed more violently in congruence with the size of the pile of mugs behind him. His eyes were bloodshot and beginning to lose focus.

The boy across from him was the reason the crowd was completely silent. The boy had not once belched or even hardly blinked. His eyes were still alert and smiling, and his posture, if slightly hunched, was steady. Many of the men were beginning to look like they were reluctant they had bet for their favorite. Hawk could sense this and edged behind Joanna, one hand slowly straying towards the gun tucked into the folds of her skirt.

Joanna and her competitor raised yet another mug, her eyes taunting while his eyes wavered. Each took a gulp and set the mug down. The large man began swaying dangerously, causing the entire room to erupt into cheers for him to keep going and beat the Scotsman down!

Joanna glanced at Hawk nervously. With the room this loud, they couldn't hear Bourbon's warning if danger approached.

Suddenly, the door to the tavern burst open and three shots were fired into the roof, effectively silencing the cheering as the voice of Adelinde Smith was heard calling "You fools! She's a Sparrow!"

Dead silence. Joanna groaned inwardly. Speaking of danger…

"What you playin' at?" a bettor called. He was helping the large man who had drank against Joanna stay upright.

The woman in the doorway was dressed simply in a once-white pirate shirt and breeches tucked into brown boots, her hair long and wild under her hat. She had been following Joanna and Eliza for months now, interrupting their drinking game antics to try to get the location of Joanna's brother, Jack Sparrow.

Now Adelinde sighed. "That's Joanna Sparrow, sister of Jack Sparrow," she said. "Only a fool would bet against her – either of them – in drinking."

The inhabitants of the tavern looked at Joanna with new eyes. Now that the strange woman in the door had pointed it out, it was obvious that it was girl in front of them. And she did have a certain resemblance to Sparrow, noted those to whom favors were owed by the brother.

Joanna gulped nervously. "What if I am related to him?" she called, trying to sound brave. She didn't bother masking her voice, now clearly a Scottish soprano. "It's not like he keeps friendly ties to anyone, least of all family, the blighter." She scowled convincingly.

"Oh really?" Adelinde said confidently, sidling up to Joanna. She was several inches taller, partially in thanks to heeled boots. "I think differently." Suddenly she grasped Joanna's right arm, hoisting it for all to see. Joanna was too surprised to even think about drawing her gun as Adelinde rolled back the sleeve, revealing the very same sparrow-and-sunset tattoo set upon Jack's arm.

"She's got the Sparrow tattoo!" someone called.

"Your brother owes me money!" yelled someone else.

"We've been cheated!" a third voice, most likely the bartender but Joanna wasn't going to check, boomed, filling the entire tavern.

"Oh dear," Joanna said, jerking her arm and ducking away from a surprised Adelinde as the first bullet flew her way. It splintered a timber, throwing wood shards everywhere. Several drunkards received minor wounds from the knifelike missiles.

The crowd erupted into a drunken brawl in less than twelve seconds. One man swung his fist at Joanna, who ducked under a table and scurried towards Hawk. The man who had swung at her hit his neighbor, who had been supporting the large man that had lost the drinking game. It was tumultuous and dangerous for the women to remain, so as soon as Joanna found Eliza they both slipped out into the town, leaving Smith to fend for herself.

Bourbon caught up with them when they found shelter behind some barrels on the dock. He was miffed that his warning had gone unnoticed by his mistress, and since he was a falcon there was no way to really explain to him that they hadn't heard him. By his reckoning, he had done his duty and still deserved his reward. He kneaded his talons exasperatedly into the glove as he waited.

Still breathing hard, Joanna dug a scrap of dried meat from her pocket and fed it to the falcon perched on her fist. "Sorry, lad," she told him. "That crowd was particularly noisy. I'm sure you did a fantastic job."

Bourbon worried his meat scrap like a dog would a bone as he considered forgiving his mistress.

"How much did we get, Hawk?" Joanna asked Eliza.

"About half as much as usual. Normally they bet more towards the end. You got too caught up in your cockiness and didn't act like you were fainting. When you do that it prompts more bets."

"Ah. I did didn't I. Sorry, mate."

Hawk didn't get a chance to respond as Bourbon suddenly screeched and puffed himself up threateningly. Joanna was on her feet with her pistol cocked before Adelinde Smith, who had come upon them, had a chance to react.

"Give me one reason I shouldn't blow your head to kingdom come for blowing my cover for the fifth time this month," Sparrow growled, "And don't try anything. Everyone who does ends up six feet under the ground. I've never missed."

Smith gulped, but held her position despite the barrel of the gun in her face. "As one who travels the country playing drinking games, I assume you have at least a slight sense of what is fair."

Joanna growled again. Bourbon, who had moved to her shoulder, carelessly began cleaning his razor-sharp talons, letting them flash in the light and show that he could be dangerous too. It was his way of reminding whatever foe was in front of him that he could gouge eyes out faster than one could blink at a command from Joanna.

Hawk, too, had pulled out a gun and was aiming it at Smith. "Talk fast. When she's had this much to drink Joanna's hands start twitching."

Adelinde gulped again. "Basically, I was playing poker with Jack and not only did he lose to me and not pay up, he stole the dinghy I had used to get to Tortuga. I've been jumping ship ever since to try to find him."

Joanna had to admit, that sounded like her brother. "What makes you think I know where he is?"

Adelinde had to admit that she didn't know. "But I know you're the best woman captain in the world," she offered, "And I wouldn't sail under any pirate man."

Hawk, who was thoroughly convinced by the argument, finished it, to Sparrow's annoyance. "Alright," she said, "But we don't have a ship. So we're going to have to jump ship again to get to Tortuga."


	3. Chapter 3

a/n: in case y'all didn't know, Admiral Groves is that guy in POTC 1 who tells Norrington "That's got to be the best pirate I've ever seen." (though he's only a lieutenant at that time) and you also see him in number 3 when the people about to be hanged start singing he tells Beckett "sir...they're singing." and he pops up throughout. anyways. oh and fun fact, the guy who plays Groves in the movie is also that guy in the new star trek movie that jumps out of the ship and gets incinerated by the Romulan probe on Spock's planet. Just thought it was funny XD

Chapter 2

Annette Taylor was less than pleased the day her father told her he had arranged her marriage to Admiral Groves. She knew that his rank meant that he was set to live a luxurious life for as long as he wanted. She'd seen him as she'd walked with her father, Lord Taylor, around the Caribbean town that was to be their home. He was tall, reasonably fashionable for the resources available in what Annette considered a godforsaken place, and not bad looking. Not to mention that as Admiral, he was one of the richest men in town, and indeed in the British Empire.

Of course, he'd only recently become Admiral, a bit after Admiral Norrington and Lord Beckett had mysteriously disappeared. Groves, who had been with them, would say nothing of the matter, only that they were presumed dead. He had taken the inherited position quietly, as was his nature. All in all, he was a good match.

But Annette would have none of it.

"Father!" she protested when the unfortunate man made the announcement. "I don't even know him!"

"Yes, my dear, I understand," he said meekly, wondering what on earth he had done wrong. "It's just that, well, I'm not getting sent back to England any time soon and it's high time you were married. The king himself approves, you really should consider yourself lucky."

"Lucky that I'm to be married to someone I've never officially met?"

"You'll be introduced to him at the ball celebrating your engagement, of course," Lord Taylor said, wringing his hands. "Annette, neither of us are getting any younger and I want you to be taken care of. Admiral Groves is a fine man."

"But –!"

"I don't want to hear any more about it!" cried her father in a rare moment of exasperation, "The announcement has been made! I'm thinking of _you_ Annette, and as your father my word is final!"

Annette had sulked for a day. She knew that her father only had her best interests in mind, but still. She had dreamed of a life of adventure, ever since her father had indulgently begun buying exciting books for her education. True, Admiral Groves had been on the sea, fought pirates, and even once seen the infamous Jack Sparrow in action. But the adventures, she was sure, were for him alone, and she doubted he would even recount them for her, let alone bring her along. This was the way of things in her world; her parents' marriage had been arranged as well as her grandparents'. And who else would she find, stuck here in the Caribbean? After all, she was twenty-three, and girls in England were marrying much younger than that.

Like the adventuresome girl she was, Annette soon grew bored with her sulking. She packed an extra frock in a carpetbag and slipped out of the kitchen door later that night, whispering a quiet farewell and a promise to return to her father, once she had had just one adventure.

By chance, she met her cousin Peter Taylor, a young man who was going to inherit her father's estate and so was here learning about it. However, like Annette he was not one who really enjoyed sitting inside balancing accounts or betting on perfectly bred and manicured horses. She had smuggled him her adventure books and he was hooked. At this moment, he was dressed in tatters that his uncle would most definitely not have approved of, coming back from the docks. He had befriended some local sailors who were teaching him about life at sea.

It was perfect for Annette.

"Peter!" she hissed as she drew near.

He was startled. "Annette! What are you doing out here? It's not safe!"

She scowled. "It's not safe inside either. Father just told me he's arranged my marriage."

"To who?"

"Admiral Groves."

Peter smacked himself on the forehead. "Annette, you're crazy! The sailors talk about him all the time! He's a good man, he's an Admiral in the navy, he's fought pirates! Your kind of man, I think."

"I don't care what he's done!" Annette spat. "I've never even men him! What if I don't like him? And he doesn't seem the type to share his adventures with a little wife."

"I don't know how you can assume that, since you've never met him."

Annette glared at her cousin. The moonlight made it hard for them to see each other, so it was pretty much lost on Peter. But he could imagine. "That's not the point, Peter. I want at least one adventure, you know before…I mean, I'll come back and marry him. But not yet. So I was thinking…"

Peter put a hand on her shoulder. "I know, I know. Come on, you need to have someone with you on your adventure."

And together they walked towards the docks of Port Royal.

XxXxX

"See anyone who looks like they have a ship?" Joanna Sparrow asked, sitting against a wall.

"Nope," answered Adelinde Smith, who was standing behind Sparrow.

"I wasn't asking you," Sparrow said, rolling her eyes, "Hawk is the one on lookout."

As if on cue, Eliza Hawk dropped from the roof to land in the alley with the other two women.

"Just the same old crowd," she said, slightly breathless. "We should get out of here though. There's people looking for Sparrow and me headed this way."

Joanna winced. "This is why I hate Tortuga. Come on, we've got to try to find Gibbs anyways."

"Gibbs?" Adelinde was curious.

"A contact," Joanna said cryptically, as Bourbon cried out in his falcon way to express his discomfort as his mistress rose and jostled him. "Bourbon? Sorry you're not allowed in, love. Stay close though, come get us if you see anything interesting."

The falcon bobbed his head and took off. Joanna pulled her hat low so that it shadowed her face, instructing the women with her to not look anywhere except where they were going. That was her trick to staying unnoticed.

They searched every tavern in town, Joanna shaking her head each time. It was rare that she didn't find Gibbs drowning in a drink bigger than his head. Finally they went to the docks, giving up on their search momentarily to take stock of the ships available.

"Oh my goodness!" Joanna exclaimed as she stood in front of a ship that clearly belonged to the British Navy. "No wonder Gibbs is so hard to find! I'm surprised this thing hasn't caused an all-out panic." The ship she spoke of was the cleanest on the dock, and clearly labeled _The British Pride_.

"Sparrow, look!" Hawk pointed in a different direction. She had spotted Gibbs, curled on the dock with a teddy bear, fast asleep.

"That's your contact?" Adelinde said dubiously. "He's going to find us a ship?"

"I never said he would help us find a ship," Joanna said, striding over to the sleeping man. There was a bucket of water near him, with a ladle in it, used to give the slaves a drink as they worked. She took a ladle-full of water and splashed it into Gibbs' face.

"Mr. Gibbs!" Joanna shouted as the man startled awake. "You call this discipline? I will not have this sleeping about while we're on my ship! Next time it happens, you will be shot!"

"Sir, yes, sir!" Gibbs saluted, then blinked and looked around. He had to look down to see Joanna, who was standing in front of him grinning. "Well I'll be thrown overboard! Joanna Sparrow!"

"Hello, mate," she said, grasping his hand and shaking it warmly. "Come on, we've got a lot to catch up on. I'll buy you a drink."

"Oh, no, Missy." Gibbs was suddenly on the alert. "Every time you or your brother buy me a drink, you want something from me. Out with it, right now."

Joanna rolled her eyes. "This is why I suggested the drink. It's something –" she glanced towards Adelinde, who was suddenly enraptured by the lack of clouds in the sky. "Something that shouldn't be talked about where prying ears can hear."

Gibbs sighed. "You and yer brother are quite the pair, y'are."

They relocated to the one tavern that was mostly empty. Hawk, who kept the money for herself and Joanna, paid for drinks while Sparrow and Gibbs settled in a dark corner to talk business. Adelinde was ordered to stay with Hawk.

"Alright," Joanna began when Hawk brought the drinks and retreated so that she and Adelinde were out of earshot, "You caught me, Gibbs. I do need something. From her." She jabbed her thumb in the direction of the other two women.

"Aye," Gibbs said, taking a long draught from his mug. "I was wonderin' where the other one came from. I thought you and Hawk worked alone."

"We _do_," Joanna said, scowling. "And it was all going very well until _she_ showed up, looking for Jack." She lowered her voice as she said her brother's name.

"He owes her money, I'd wager."

"Aye."

Gibbs took another swig. "Well, I suppose you'll be wantin' to know where he is then. Ye going after him?"

"That's the plan," Joanna said hopefully. "I need a crew too. And a ship."

Gibbs shook his head. "There was a day when women wouldn't dare set sail on a ship," he said, "Bad luck it was."

Sparrow rolled her eyes. "Come on. I'm the sister of Jack Sparrow. Surely I've got some of his luck with me. Runs in the blood, you know."

Gibbs smiled as he thought of his friend. "I hope it does, for yer sake." He looked around, making sure that Hawk had Adelinde completely distracted and that no one was listening to his and Joanna's conversation.

"Alright, all o' this is strictly confidential, ye hear? Ye didn't hear anythin' from me."

Joanna nodded.

Gibbs lowered his voice so that he was nearly whispering. "Last I heard from yer brother, 'e was sailin' to Florida or some such, lookin' for the 'fountain o' youth'. He's got that accursed turning oriental map with him, so it's hard to say exactly. But I'm sure ye know the ports abouts that area."

"I do. Alright, I know where to start looking." Joanna was used to not having more direction than that. Her brother was often difficult to find.

"As fer a crew and ship, I don't know of anyone who would be willin' to waste their time chasin' after Jack Sparrow, but perhaps a couple o' newcomers just come into town may be naïve enough to try it. They seem sturdy enough, you may give them a shot after ye find a ship. You'll know 'em when you see 'em. Hawk should be able to tell they've never been here before."

XxXxX

Admiral Theodore Groves and Lieutenant Richard Hastings made their way discreetly through the streets and alleys of Tortuga, the latter trying not the wrinkle his nose at the acrid smells bombarding him. Hastings was still as of yet unsure as to why he and the Admiral were on this mindless mission, but had been forbidden by his superior to ask questions until Groves told him it was alright. Or explained, whichever came first. They were both dressed in rough clothing that Hastings worried would have them mistaken for pirates and hanged. Rather, this had worried him until they had gotten to Tortuga, where there were no police or armed forces of any sort in sight.

The admiral led his subordinate to an alley that was empty and shielded from sight and sounds of the street. Hastings opened his mouth to inquire, but the Admiral spoke first.

"Yes, I will answer your questions, Lieutenant," he said, "But before you speak, there are things which must be cleared up. While we're on this mission, we are in complete disguise. We've got to speak like the sailors and drop the military titles. And you absolutely must not call me _sir_ at all. From now on, you will call me simply…Theo. You'll be alright as Hastings."

It took the lieutenant a few moments to say something without saying "permission to speak, sir" first. Finally he got around the habit and said, "If I may ask…Theo, why are we here in the first place?"

The admiral smiled, but there was no pleasure behind it. "As you were bound to find out today, when the official announcement was made, I've been engaged to a lovely young woman by the name of Annette Taylor. Yes, Lord Taylor's daughter. The only thing is, we've never been introduced to each other. I would like to get to know her before I commit my life to her."

"I understand that, uh…Theo." Poor Hastings was not used to being on familiar terms with his superiors. "But if you would like to get to know Miss Taylor, wouldn't it be more prudent to stay in Port Royal where she lives?"

"Yes, it would seem that way," Groves acknowledged. "The trouble is, she's not _in_ Port Royal. Days ago, she and her cousin Peter Taylor disappeared with her father's ship, _The British Pride_. It's my guess that they took the ship here because it's a short enough distance the two of them could get the ship here, but if they wanted any real adventure they would need to pick up a crew of people that wouldn't tell on them."

"So…we're on a mission to retrieve the girl?" Hastings was beginning to understand.

The admiral smiled, a real smile this time. "Yes, Lieutenant. We are on a mission to retrieve the girl, protect her from any danger, and I am here to court her properly. You, my dear boy, are coming along as a chaperone."

XxXxX

"Alright, Hawk, be on the lookout for those newcomers Gibbs was telling us about. They should look like they've never been to Tortuga in their lives."

"Oh, you mean the runaway girl with a ship I saw earlier? Or the two men that look strong and sober enough to crew a ship?"

Joanna stopped suddenly, and Adelinde and Hawk had taken a couple of steps before they realized she was no longer with them. When they turned back to her, Joanna was looking at them, Hawk specifically, with complete exasperation. "You couldn't have told me this earlier?" she said.

"You didn't ask," Hawk quipped. "Now come on, we'll talk to Miss Fancy Bloomers about the ship first."

XxXxX

Annette and Peter had been in Tortuga for longer than they had hoped and for longer than they liked. However, they hadn't been successful in finding a crew for the ship. It was just too conspicuously _British Navy_. Everyone they had talked to so far had taken one look at the ship and split. They didn't want to be caught with the stolen vessel, for fear of hanging. Peter could sense that the whispers about them were spreading and that it would be dangerous for them to stay in the town much longer. In fact today was the last day they planned on staying.

Annette was weary and tired from the shock that came from her seeing the utter depravation of this town after being brought up as a proper, sheltered English lady. She was just glad that Peter had stuck it out this far with her, though they were planning on going back after today if no one took their offer on the ship.

Perhaps it was because of the way the three women were dressed that helped them blend in with the crowd, so they appeared quite suddenly in front of the two members of British nobility. One of them, the one in the middle who had a falcon on her shoulder and who appeared to be the leader of the three, was dressed in men's clothes, though she wasn't really trying to hide her femininity as her braid swung down her back, some pieces of hair escaping to frame her face. The other two were dressed similarly in once-white, flowing shirts and skirts.

It was the lead woman, who looked to be slightly younger than Annette, who spoke with a Scottish accent.

"We hear that you have a ship," she said matter-of-factly. "And we need one."

Annette blinked and turned to Peter. He shrugged.

"We might have a ship or we might not," he said. "Depends on how much you pay."

The woman merely rolled her eyes. She lowered her voice to say, "Look, no offense but you two stick out like redcoats out here. It's not hard to guess that Missy here ran away with Papa's ship. And with what I've been hearing, it's dangerous for you two to stick around here for long. So we can do this the easy way, or the hard way." With that she let her hand stray towards the pistol tucked into her belt.

Peter inwardly groaned. He was unarmed.

"Just take us with you," Annette spoke, desperate to have someone take her ship. "I'll be the cook or whatever, just take my cousin and I with you and you can have the ship, so long as she comes back in one piece."

Her cousin looked at her, alarmed. But the woman in front of him was already extending her hand to shake on the deal.

"That sounds just about right," she said smugly. "I'm Joanna, and I will be your captain on this voyage. This is Hawk, and this is Adelinde. Whatever she says about me is false. Now, if you two will be dears and ready the ship for voyage, I'll go in search of the rest of the crew. I'd say it would take about six or seven to crew her, wouldn't you say?"

Peter was slightly aghast that this woman could judge that about the ship, but he could only nod and propel his cousin back towards the _British Pride_.

"Alright, now that we're rid of them for the moment," Joanna said, wiping her hands. "Time to find those other two crewmembers. Hawk?"

"They should be willing enough to come along. They've been watching our entire exchange."

Joanna smiled. "Someone's got his eye on Missy. Perfect."

XxXxX

It was a successful day on all accounts. Joanna (who was established as captain despite the mild surprise and protesting from Theo and Hastings at having the take orders from a woman, her knowledge of sailing and sense of direction, not to mention her pistol, were hard to argue with), Hawk and Adelinde were secured on their way to find Jack Sparrow; Annette and Peter were off on their adventure; and Admiral Groves and Lieutenant Hastings had been hired to help crew the ship and in doing so pursue their goal of protecting Annette.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Three

When Joanna, Hawk, and Adelinde climbed aboard the _British Pride_, they found their crew already at work. Theo and Hastings were up in the shrouds and atop the jibs, unfurling the sails and tying the ropes down to secure them. Peter was making certain the helm was still in working order, and he was calling out orders to Annette, who raced around doing whatever she could to help.

"Ahoy, Captain!" Hastings called from atop the sails as Joanna stepped aboard and moved towards the helm.

She nodded curtly and then turned to Theo, who was climbing off the ship's railing to land on the deck.

"Pull up anchor," she ordered, and Theo tipped his hat in salutation. He whistled up to Hastings, who looked surprised only momentarily before he swung down to join his comrade. Peter rushed to help, and between the three men, the anchor was pulled up and fastened securely to the_British Pride's_ hull.

Joanna noticed, as she turned the ship away from the harbor, that the _British Pride _wasn't altogether a large ship, but she was strong and sturdy, and it seemed she was more than eager to make way to the open sea. It would be pleasurable captaining such a ship, and it seemed her work hands wouldn't be too difficult to maneuver and command.

"Now that we're out to sea, Captain," Hawk grinned, coming to Joanna's side as the ship moved slowly away from her berthed sisters, "what can we do for you?"

"Seeing as the sun is just now lowering on the horizon, I believe some food is in order," Joanna said, blue eyes piercing into the open wilderness. "We need to establish a cook for this voyage."

"I volunteer, Captain!" Annette called up to the helm.

"Very well. Off to it, then."

"Would a lady of that position know how to cook?" Hawk asked, watching Annette disappear into the hold.

"I don't know. I am curious to know what it is she's doing out here with her father's ship, however. She may have some rather colorful tale," Joanna said, leaning against the helm.

"Maybe," Hawk shrugged. "Are we claiming the captain's cabin for our quarters?"

"Aye," Joanna nodded. "And have Adelinde find our dishes and things and put them out on the table in there. I'm hoping for more than just a measly meal. It's been too long since we've had anything but stale bread and rusted water."

Hawk nodded and then walked down to the deck, immediately moving towards Adelinde, who was resting against a rail.

"Captain orders you to find our silver and bring it into the captain's cabin," she spoke.

"So now I'm the new cabin boy, am I?" Adelinde snorted.

"We each need to do what is necessary to keep the ship afloat," Theo said, coming to her side. "My guess is the dishes will be heavy. I'll carry them up with you. Any ideas where they might be, Hawk?"

"In the galley is my guess," she shrugged.

Theo nodded and then made his way to the hatch, Adelinde following grudgingly behind him. They made their way into the darkened interior and then walked down several more flights of stairs, to the bottom of the ship. There they found only one room lit, out of the three immense rooms on that level, and the light from it flooded out into the darkened walkway.

"Our galley," Theo guessed logically.

"You're smart as paint," Adelinde snorted and moved towards the galley.

The galley was one of the largest rooms in the ship, measuring roughly the size of five cabins. There were several large braziers (ovens that consisted of large boxes and metal grates) side by side, that stretched halfway across one wall. They were already heating up, making the room stuffy and warm. Annette was moving about, going from the counters, that stretched across another whole wall, to the opposite wall where all the barrels of food and hanging meat was kept. Somehow she had found a large overcoat to cover her very expensive dress with, and she looked very much like a child, running back and forth with a delighted smile on her face. Her hair was pulled back in a braid, and she smiled up at Theo and Adelinde as they entered.

"This galley is enormous!" she exclaimed, beginning to cut up potatoes. "I've never seen such a big one before!"

"Have you managed to find any silver?" Adelinde sighed, not at all interested in the woman's delight of the galley.

"No silver, aside from forks, spoons, and knives. My father only had china, bought directly from the East India Trading Company," Annette said, shaking her head. "There's a large cupboard to my left. See it?"

It was indeed a large cupboard, made only of the finest wood and glass, and Adelinde snorted as she walked over to it.

"You really are a little rich girl, aren't you?" she scowled.

Annette didn't answer, but continued cooking, deciding to ignore the pirate's comments.

"I'm imagining the captain will want a barrel of rum brought up as well," Theo said, watching Adelinde gather dishes and noticing the barely visible twitch in Annette's neck when Adelinde had mocked her. "Have you any knowledge of the whereabouts of the rum?" he asked.

"There's a cellar door right where you are standing," Annette said, not looking in his direction. "I peeked in there a few minutes ago. It's full of barrels."

A breathless Peter came running into the galley then, and he looked to Theo.

"Captain ordered for us to bring up rum," he panted.

Theo chuckled and opened the cellar door.

"I believe it's down here," he stated, gesturing for Peter to follow him into the bottommost level of the ship.

It was dark and creepy down in the cellar, so the men grabbed a barrel and hoisted it up fairly quickly. They then proceeded to carry it up all the different flights of stairs, onto the deck, onto the helm steps, and finally into the captain's cabin, where Adelinde was already setting the table. Being a true pirate, she didn't really know how to set anything, so she simply threw down a group of forks and knives and slid the plates in different directions.

Hastings hurried about the large cabin, sweeping up the floor. The captain's cabin was certainly the most exotic that any of the pirates had ever seen. The color code was dark blue and gold, and everything in the room must have been very expensive. There was a huge rug covering most of the floor, the bed was enormous, the window seat, looking out the stern of the ship, was large and comfortable, and everything in the place spelled out the word _rich_. It gave the pirates all the more reason to wonder about who exactly they had cooking down in the galley. The last name Taylor did sound familiar, but how?

XxXxX

Half an hour passed, and smells began drifting up from the galley portholes, infusing the air with their rich aroma. Joanna and Hawk had never smelled anything half as delicious, and both their stomachs growled in unison.

"I congratulate you, Jo. I think we found ourselves a cook," Hawk said, her stomach grumbling again.

"Dinner's ready!" Annette's voice called as she walked up the stairs leading towards the captain's cabin. She had a huge tray in her hands, covered with a lid, and she struggled a bit under the weight. Hastings was at the cabin door, and he opened it hurriedly. Theo reached out and steadied the platter as Annette nearly spilled it, and he caught the edge and carried it with her to the table.

"I'm hoping I prepared enough," Annette said, setting the tray carefully in the center of the table. "I'm afraid the only times I've really ever cooked is when Nancy let me help every now and then in the kitchen. We don't have any live meat down in the galley, so I'm afraid we're either going to have to buy some soon, or we may have to just eat fish for awhile. My father didn't keep much meat."

"There is also a lack of fruit. We need apples," Adelinde added, sitting down in a seat at the table.

"We'll see about making port somewhere along the way," Joanna nodded, reaching out for a fork and knife. "Now what have we here?"

She lifted the top of the tray, and a huge billow of steam rose up from the meal, bringing with it the most mouth-watering smell.

"Pork with the last of the potatoes," Annette answered, moving to a chair across from Peter. She was somewhat startled when Theo pulled her chair out for her, but she smiled gratefully and sat down.

"I can't remember the last time I had pork," Hawk said wistfully, forking out a large piece of the meat.

"What do you usually eat?" Peter asked.

"Fish. Lots and lots of fish," Hawk sighed.

"That and stale bread," Joanna nodded.

"I hope it all tastes right. The pork was completely covered in salt, as I know it should be, but I was hoping to cook out some of it," Annette said, watching everyone else get their food before she did, noticing that, once again, Theo waited for her.

"This is the most delicious meat I've ever had," Adelinde said, her eyes wide with surprise.

"Good. I'm so glad," Annette sighed.

"So tell me," Joanna said, her mouth partly full of food, "how did a wealthy woman like you end up with your father's ship out on the open ocean? What are you running away from?"

"My father arranged for me to marry, so I got scared and left," Annette said quietly. "I'm rather upset about that, actually. I shouldn't have run, and I shouldn't have taken his ship and Peter, but it's a little late now. I am engaged to marry an Admiral Groves, whom I've never met before. I will marry him when I get home. I just wanted to, well, live a little first. And he has a great love for the sea, and I wanted to understand why. That way, maybe, we can actually have something in common and get along. I'm also a little worried," she added as a side note, "that he's only chosen to marry me because of my title. Ever since my mother died, my father's given me her title of Lady, and that would certainly look respectable for an admiral to marry to such a title."

"Admiral Groves?" Joanna asked, tapping her chin with the edge of her fork. "That name sounds familiar. Do you recognize it, Hawk?"

"Seems your brother's mentioned him before," Hawk nodded.

"He's a good man," Peter spoke.

"I heard rumors that he was originally supposed to marry Marian Loft, according to herself and her father," Hastings mused. "I have connections with that family," he grinned wickedly, for the sake of his charade. "She's too much of a dandy for him, I believe."

"She didn't have a title," Annette sighed.

"Any British officer sounds like a scumbag to me," Joanna harrumphed.

"There are certainly a bountiful amount of those out there," Theo mused, raising his mug of water. "Cheers for a good voyage and the escape of Miss Annette Taylor."

"Take what you can," Joanna said, grinning at Hawk.

"Give nothing back," Hawk chuckled in response.

XxXxX

Peter, Theo, and Hastings found their way into the hold after the meal was finished, leaving Annette to clean the dishes and the captain and her first mate to settle into their room and then prepare the night watches. The men found a large room, no doubt meant for the ship's usual crew, and it was equipped with fourteen hammocks, hung from the ceiling. Pillows and blankets were piled up on one set of drawers, and Theo grabbed the pile and tossed blankets and pillows to the other men. He then proceeded to put his few belongings, an extra sword, extra shirt, and an extra pair of breeches and stockings, into one of the drawers.

He hadn't thought, as he moved to prepare his bed for the night, that Annette had fled from home because she was scared. He had heard much gossip from other women, including Marian Loft, that Lady Annette Taylor was untamable, a wild horse that had no respect for men in general, especially her father. However, the admiral hadn't seen that from what Annette had said over dinner. It seemed she very much loved her father and was willing to do what he said. She just needed time to conform to the idea. And she had every right to be scared, for in all reality, Admiral Groves had agreed to the match because she had a title and just so happened to be, to him, the loveliest woman in the British port. But aside from that, he knew nothing whatsoever about her, only what he had heard in rumors.

"I'm going to go help Annette with the dishes. She has an awful lot to clean," Peter yawned, turning from his hammock and moving towards the doorway.

"You seem tired," Theo noted, and Peter rubbed his eyes.

"Well, we've had quite the couple of days," he yawned, nodding.

"I'll assist your cousin," Theo offered. "You should sleep."

"Shall I come as well?" Hastings asked, an eyebrow arched.

"Aye," Theo nodded. "The floor will need to be scrubbed."

"You two are the strangest pirates I daresay I've ever met," Peter said, rolling into his hammock. "Good night, all."

Theo and Hastings made their way down to the galley, and they were surprised to hear singing as they moved through the hallway to the great room.

_"Oh a pirate's life is a wonderful life, a rovin' over the sea._

_Give me a career as a buccaneer._

_It's the life of a pirate for me, oh the life of a pirate for me."_

_"Oh a pirate's life is a wonderful life, they never bury your bones._

_But when it's all over, a jolly sea rover drops in on his friend Davy Jones._

_Oh his very good friend Davy Jones."_

"Brilliant song," Joanna's voice could be heard.

"It's a typical pirate one," Annette's voice answered, and she turned towards the doorway as the men stepped through.

"Evening, mates," Joanna nodded. "What brings you down here?"

"We were hoping to do a bit of scrubbing, Captain," Hastings said, grabbing hold of a coarse brush and a waiting bucket of water.

"I gamble I'll have the cleanest ship in the whole of the Atlantic ," Joanna said, rolling her eyes. "And what's with you?" she asked Theo.

"I figured I'd dry dishes, or something of that nature," he shrugged. "And I'd like to discuss the matter of the night watches with you."

"What is there to discuss?"

"Seeing as you and Hawk are the only ones who seem intent on doing any of the captaining, I should like to offer my services. We are in for quite the long journey, and I'd like to help," Theo said, taking a plate from Annette and drying it.

"You can steer a ship, ay?" Joanna asked, an eyebrow arched.

"Indeed," he nodded, noting that water was splashing all the way up Annette's arms, soaking the sleeves of her fancy dress. "I also," he offered, "have another shirt, should her ladyship here wish to borrow it?"

"No, I'm quite all right, thank you," Annette said, focusing on scrubbing grime off of one of the plates.

"You need a different outfit," Joanna nodded to Theo. "Take his shirt. You won't get far in that dress of yours. As for you, Theo, I don't just hand over my duties as captain lightly. This here is a fine ship, and I'd rather not see it beached or struck with rocks."

"I assure you, I have had some experience," Theo smiled.

"Come with me and prove that," Joanna challenged, leading the way out of the galley.

XxXxX

The air was humid and a distinct mist was covering the ocean and the quarterdeck when Joanna and Groves stepped out into the open.

"The weather is calling for a storm, Captain," Hawk called from the helm.

"When will it be rolling in, do you think?" Joanna asked.

"Near eleven o'clock or so tomorrow morning," Theo estimated.

"Theo here has volunteered to take a shift," Joanna explained. "We're going to stay out in the open ocean, traveling constantly northwards," she told him, taking the helm when Hawk stepped aside. "We'll search the islands tomorrow, but I don't want to make berth unless we absolutely have too. I'm not fond of going ashore."

"The Sparrows like to stay aboard ship as much as possible," Hawk grinned. "It's in the blood."

"And the less we go ashore, the less we'll have to keep certain members of the crew inconspicuous," Joanna nodded. "Take the helm, Theo. I want you sailing northwards, keeping slightly to the starboard side. The islands are to our left, therefore we need to stay in that direction. We have barely any waves, so you should have smooth sailing."

"I think our storm won't bring us much comfort as far as the waters are concerned," Theo said, taking the helm and gazing up at the North Star. "If anything, it will make the ocean nearly motionless."

"How exactly are we going to go about testing him?" Hawk asked Joanna.

"We'll leave him here for half an hour, and then I'll come and see if we're still on course. If we aren't, I'll throw you overboard," the five-foot-two-inch pirate captain threatened.

"Aye, Captain. We'll still be on course," Theo said, directing all of his attention to the sailing.

"For your sake, I hope so."

Theo couldn't help but smile as Joanna and Hawk disappeared into the captain's cabin. It was comforting to him to know that he would be doing what he did best on this mission. There was nowhere that felt closer to home than standing on the deck of a ship or behind its helm, directing it. Aside from God and country, the sea had been his first love ever since he could remember. He hadn't really known his family well, for they were rich enough to have servants raising him while his parents were always gone, and his brothers and sisters were older than he was, having moved out long ago. But behind the helm, he felt solid and strong, as though nothing terrible could ever really happen.

XxXxX

"I think, despite everything," Hawk said as she settled down on a couch in the captain's cabin, "that we have ourselves rather a fine crew."

"That will be proven with the first sea storm," Joanna said, settling down in the blankets on the bed. "That will prove whether our mates be faint-hearted or strong."

"It is good to have another person to man the helm," Hawk said, closing her eyes.

"So it is," Joanna yawned. "So long as he remembers his place, I am satisfied."

"What are you going to do when we find Jack? You know how he thinks himself to be master of the ship," Hawk asked.

"Show him, once again, that just because I'm little, it doesn't mean he can take advantage of me," Joanna grinned, thinking of her brother. "Besides, knowing Jack, he'll be in a barrel of trouble when we find him, and he'll be more than willing to accept me as the captain."

"One can only hope," Hawk grinned, slipping into sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Four

"Hang the wretched weather!"

Hawk grinned on her couch and rolled over, drowning out Joanna's infuriated exclamations to the weather. The first mate quickly fell back to sleep, knowing, from the lazy way in which the ship was rocking and the quiet way the rain was pounding on the cabin window, that she wouldn't be needed for quite some time. The ship wasn't going anywhere.

"And blast the beastly rain!" Joanna shouted again, slamming her fist on the helm. "We aren't going to get anywhere with this!"

Distant thunder rumbled, threatening to bring in more nasty weather by the time the day was over.

"Orders, Captain?" Peter asked, sticking his head out of the hatchway.

"I need a mug of rum! I also need some food!" Joanna spat, her eyes dark as she glared at the barely moving ocean. "We won't be looking for Jack today!"

"Aye, Captain!"

Peter closed the doorway and hurried down to the galley.

"Annette?" he called, stepping into the dimly lit galley. "We are in need of some breakfast, I believe, my dear cousin."

A low moan met his call, and he turned his head to see Annette sitting on the floor, holding her stomach and looking positively green.

"I think," she said with a weak smile, "that I'm a bit seasick. The waves are just…rocking the ship…"

"Oh dear. I don't quite know what to do for seasickness," Peter frowned.

"Is everything all right?" Theo frowned, stepping into the galley with Hastings . His eyes moved to Annette, nearly sprawled on the wooden floor, her long hair down and her body trembling slightly. " Hastings , I need a damp rag," the pretend pirate ordered, and Hastings rushed to obey. "I don't believe Miss Annette shall be cooking breakfast this morning."

"I feel so…childish…" Annette whispered, lying down all the way on the floor. "I'm sorry."

"The floor is filthy," Theo said, pulling off his overcoat and tucking it neatly under Annette's head. "Part of the problem could be that you're so warm." He put the back of his hand to her forehead and nodded. "It's humid out as it is," he explained, "and you're dressed in a heavy dress. Peter, there is an extra shirt in the drawers in our cabin. Would you fetch it for me, please?"

"Most certainly," Peter nodded, hurrying off to the cabin.

"I'm sorry," Annette repeated, clutching her stomach as it twisted.

"Don't apologize," Theo said, taking the rag from Hastings . "You are unaccustomed to the sea."

He put the rag to her forehead and held it there, wiping away the sweat and cooling her face. "Some fresh air would do you good," he mentioned. "The best breezes flow through the captain's cabin."

"No. I can't go in there," Annette said, shaking her head.

"I have the shirt," Peter said, trotting back into the room.

"Good. Miss Annette, I have an extra shirt I want you to get changed into. It'll let you breathe easier and will help your seasickness. Peter, if you'll pick her up and carry her into her cabin so she can change, that would be most excellent," Theo instructed. "She should feel a great deal better after that."

"What is going on in here?" Adelinde asked, stepping in just as Annette was getting to her feet and leaning on Peter.

"I'm afraid I'm a bit sick," Annette smiled apologetically.

"Breakfast will be served shortly," Hastings said, rolling up his sleeves and immediately setting to work, grabbing flour and water from their appointed places and stirring them together in a bowl.

"You know how to cook?" Adelinde asked, surprised.

"Aye," Hastings nodded. "Theo, would you please start up a fire in one of the braziers, please? I'll see what I can do to make up some gruel of some sort."

"That sounds delightful," Adelinde frowned.

"It will be quite good, I'm sure," Hastings said and started whistling.

"A man of many talents, Hastings," Theo grinned, watching as Adelinde left the galley in exasperation.

Hastings just chuckled and started putting ingredients in a large pan over the fire.

Joanna was in a very surly mood when she sat down in the captain's cabin with the rest of her crew. Her eyes darted from Hastings, who was rather excited about the meal, to Theo, who was keeping a watchful eye on Annette, and finally to Annette, who was very pale but seemed to be holding up well. She was wearing one of Theo's shirts, which somewhat amused the pirate captain, for it was a bit large on the sophisticated English woman, and complete with a long brown skirt and a strip of leather, used to pull back Annette's hair, and it made the woman look a great deal younger, like she was completely naïve.

"How fares the ill passenger?" Hawk asked, eyes sparkling as she dished out some of Hastings ' gruel.

"Surviving," Annette said, getting some of the gruel for herself.

"You sure you aren't going to hurl that back up?" Adelinde asked.

"What are we to do for the rest of the day?" Peter asked. "It seems frightfully dull, and the rain is only getting worse."

"In less than an hour we won't be able to see anything outside," Joanna said. "The fog is settling in, and we're going to just have to let her drift a ways. It would be best for us to stay inside; for I'm sure the storm is only going to worsen. I don't expect it will be much of gall, but just miserable enough to keep us off the decks without any of the ship being damaged."

"It doesn't seem to be storming yet," Annette said, eating carefully.

"The waves are about to get worse, I do believe, and there is distant thunder coming towards us," Joanna stated.

"Should we maybe get food ready for this afternoon and evening, before the weather is so harsh that it is difficult to get into the hold?" Theo suggested.

"That won't be necessary. We have rather a filling morning meal here, so all we shall need later is one more meal for the day," Joanna said, shaking her head.

"And no offense, Hastings , but I do hope Miss Annette is feeling better by this evening," Hawk smirked. "This meal looks rather…questionable."

Hastings shrugged good-naturedly.

"I certainly don't like sitting about doing nothing," Adelinde said, leaning back in her seat. "Do we have any dice, perhaps?"

"Dice? I highly doubt my father would have had such a thing in here," Annette frowned. "Cards, however…"

She got up from the table and stumbled a bit as she made her way to the room's immense mahogany desk.

"I was never allowed to play," she said, tossing a deck of cards onto the table.

"I never learned myself," Joanna mused.

"Ah ha! So finally I have an advantage over you," Adelinde said cheerfully. "I shall have to teach you a game or two."

She pulled out the cards and began to shuffle them, mixing them up and then passing them out to everyone. She then began to teach them how to play Black Jack, and soon enough, the crew was involved in quite the competitive game. They barely noticed the ship beginning to rock more because they were too involved in the card challenge. Adelinde was an expert player, moving in and out of each round with astonishing skill, but Hastings and Peter soon caught up, and before long, just the three of them were having at each other with the cards.

The dishes and remnants of the meal were quickly rushed into the kitchen, as the rain was becoming heavier, and then everyone gathered back together in the captain's cabin. Annette found her way to the small piano in a corner of the room. Her father had placed it there for his own entertainment, while sailing long distances, and Annette had been well taught in the art of playing the instrument. She was almost too sick to play, for the continual rocking of the ship was lurching her around a bit, but Peter requested a song, and so Annette began to play.

She had finished one song when Joanna ordered that everyone step outside and check on the sails, making certain they were tied down properly for the oncoming wind.

"Captain!" Adelinde called from the bow of the ship, "there seems to be a small cove just a few degrees east of us! Should we sail there and cast anchor? 'T would be better to cast anchor there and wait out the storm than sit out here on the waves!"

"Aye!" Joanna shouted from the helm, getting thoroughly drenched. "We'll make for the cove!"

It was quite the struggle to get the _British Pride _over to the shelter of the cove, and it was another matter entirely to drop anchor, as the winds and rain had become significantly harsher, but the work was accomplished, and Annette made her way down to the galley, wanting to clean the dishes that were waiting there. Joanna was exhausted from a long nigh awake, and so she settled down in the captain's cabin to rest. Hawk kept Bourbon occupied, trying to teach him new tricks in the hold, and Peter, Hastings , and Adelinde worked up another card game. Theo went to Annette and began helping her clean dishes, aware that she was still struggling with seasickness but was doing her best to get over it.

"Have you never been to sea before, Miss Annette?" he asked, taking a soapy dish from her and washing it off in a tub of water.

"Only on the crossing from England to the Caribbean fort," Annette smiled. "I was too little to remember that journey, however."

"Did Peter come over with you?"

"He did," Annette nodded. "He is to inherit my father's property, once Father passes away, and so he has lived with us a good long time, getting his training from father and the many nobles that have crossed his path."

"Have your received any training from your father?"

"Aye," Annette said with a bright smile. "Father has taken me out many times on horseback, and I have learned everything I know about riding from him. He sees to it that I am supplied with as much learning material as I can get my hands on, and he himself has taught me how to fence, though I don't suppose that will be of much use to me out here. I can't imagine a foil is quite as heavy as a sword, though I've always wanted to hold a true sword."

A blast of thunder echoed eerily through the galley, and it suddenly became very dark. Everything was gray and dismal outside, with occasional flashes of lightning, and Annette shuddered, glad that she had someone with her to keep her company. She didn't like being alone during storms like these. It wasn't that she was afraid of the darkness, but she always felt safer with someone around.

The ship's captain, however, had quite the disliking for darkness, and Joanna sat up in bed with a start, noticing automatically, that it was nearly black in the captain's cabin.

"Hawk?" she shouted, flinging her blankets aside. "Bourbon?"

She was alone in the captain's cabin and was very nearly terrified out of her mind. Bloodthirsty, drunken pirates she could handle, and grotesque scenes she had no trouble with, but darkness scared her. It made her feel small and insignificant, and with a shudder, she rushed for the cabin door. She opened it to find a thick sheet of rain pouring down in front of her, accompanying the terribly humid air.

She couldn't stand being alone in weather like this, and she ran out of the cabin, slamming the door shut behind her, and then flew to the hatch leading into the hold. She took the stairs two at a time, after having shut the hatch door, and ran down several more flights of stairs to the galley. She could hear laughter and talking coming from the dimly lit room, and she charged into the galley, eyes wide from all of the imagined terrors that had been in the darkness on her way here.

"The captain finally decided to join us!" Hawk grinned, understanding Joanna's fear as Bourbon flew to his master's hand. "How goes the weather?"

"Miserable," Joanna frowned, not pleased with her first mate's amusement.

"I have decided," Annette spoke as she dried the dishes, "that I would like to make a good stew for us for dinner. I'll let it cook throughout the afternoon."

"Aren't we scarce on supplies?" Joanna asked, plopping into a seat next to Hastings and looking at the cards in his hands.

"We have several meals more in food," Theo said, putting a large wrapped slab of beef on one of the counters.

"What precisely are you making?" Hawk asked.

"I suppose it will be a vegetable stew of sorts," Annette said, noticing Joanna's inquisitive look. "Would you care to assist, Captain?"

"I have never been much of a cook," Joanna said, getting up from her seat.

"It isn't too difficult. I'm sure you have a way with a knife," Annette said, putting several limp carrots on a wooden table before Joanna. "If you could slice those up and throw them in the pot over the fire, we'll have a little more taste to our meal."

Theo went to work chopping up the beef slab, and Annette grabbed several onions from a barrel and began peeling them. Tears welled up in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks as she worked, and Joanna, who thought herself to be quite a bit stronger than that (no thanks to that infamous Sparrow blood) offered to peel the onions instead.

"I don't believe I'll have so much of an issue with crying," she said proudly, taking the onions from Annette.

Annette and Theo exchanged knowing looks and then went about preparing more supplies for the stew.

Within two minutes, Joanna had the biggest tears rolling down her face, and Hawk and Adelinde were laughing.

"So maybe," Joanna sniffed, wiping some tears on her sleeve, "you don't have to be faint-hearted to cry."

"I think that's enough, Captain," Annette said, taking the peeled onions and tossing them into the pot.

"Handkerchief, Captain?" Theo offered, pulling his bandana off his neck and holding it in front of Joanna.

She nearly cracked a smile then, and she shook her head.

"No. I'll fare quite well without one. I deserve it, for my infernal pride."

"The meal has barely begun to cook, but it already smells delicious," Peter said, pulling a harmonica out of his overcoat pocket and scooting his chair back from the temporary card table. "I've lost three hands now, and I don't plan on losing any more today, thank you very much, Adelinde."

He then began to play the harmonica, and Hastings tapped his foot on the floor in time with the music.

"I forgot that you bring that with you everywhere," Annette said, putting the last ingredients in the pot.

"It makes things less dull," Peter said before he blew into the instrument again.

"They play tunes like that at Tortuga, and even in Singapore a bit," Adelinde commented.

"And how do they dance?" Hastings asked, beginning to pat the table in steady rhythm with the harmonica.

"They do jigs," Adelinde said and then stood up. "Somewhat like this."

She began to move her feet, circling and twirling, moving her legs fast enough at times that no one could really see them clearly.

"The dance of choice," the girl breathed heavily as she continued to dance, "is what I like to call a Stomp. There are no special motions, so long as your feet are constantly hitting the ground, making the music loud and exciting. Dancing is yet another sort of competition," she said with a challenging smile. "The longer you can dance, the more money gets involved. The last person standing gets all of the currency."

"In the case that we should ever need such money, I believe we should all try our hand at it," Hastings said, getting to his feet and moving into the center of the room. He began to dance, keeping in time with the music, and Theo cheered him on. The onions had forced Joanna to get over some of her dignity, and so she too joined in the dancing, pulling Theo in with her and making him dance so she could have a partner. The pirate captain and her crew stumbled all over, as Joanna and Hawk didn't know how to dance and they were constantly running into Hastings and Theo.

"Go on, Annette!" Peter encouraged, taking a quick breath from the harmonica.

"Oh dear. I can't much dance aside from our sophisticated English steps," Annette said and then squealed when Hawk caught her by the hand and pulled her into the dance circle.

"Yet another reason to avoid wearing skirts," Joanna commented as Annette hitched up her skirt a bit, giving her legs more room to move.

"How absurd," Annette said softly and then laughed again when Theo looped his arm through hers and they dosie doed in and out of the other dancers, everyone taking someone's arm and twirling wildly. Feet moved in harmony with the music of the harmonica and with each other. Everyone was left breathless and laughing, and after fifteen minutes, they had to stop dancing.

Right when they stopped, and the harmonica music ended, a clap of thunder filled up the sudden silence, and the ship rocked wildly, tossing Annette and Hastings into one of the walls and very nearly upsetting the soup. Adelinde managed to save the pot, before it fell to the floor, and Peter let out a low whistle.

"It's going to be quite the night," he said.

"I know what we can do for the next hour or so, as the soup is finishing" Annette said, finding her way to a chair and sitting down hurriedly, afraid to fall into the wall again.

"And what would that be?" Joanna asked glaring at the rain pelting down outside.

"You can tell us tales about Jack Sparrow."

Joanna laughed and nodded.

"Oh, very well. I have no idea, really, what's true and what's not. All I know is that he stole one of my lines and it's become rather famous."

"And what line is that?" Theo asked, pulling up a chair at the table.

"Sea turtles," Joanna chuckled. "The whole story about sea turtles was my idea."

XxXxX

An hour and a half passed pleasantly, despite the foul weather. To be sure, there was much laughing over stories about Captain Sparrow, and everyone was more than ready for the soup, when Annette said it was prepared. She dished out the stew and served it to everyone, and they immediately started eating, the weather and dancing having made them hungry.

"I think," Joanna spoke, finishing her stew, "that you need to teach me how to cook."

"If you'll teach me how to swordfight," Annette bartered.

"I would, however, I do believe I'll be commanding the ship most of the time," Joanna said. "Here's a gift for you, for starters. Took it off one of the pirates in Tortuga , I did."

She drew a sword from her side and handed it to Annette. The well-bred woman hadn't expected the weapon to be so heavy, and she nearly dropped it. There was no mistaking the delight in her eyes, however, as she picked the sword up and looked at its shining blade. She wondered what her father would have thought of her holding such a weapon. His dainty daughter, with fingers that were only meant to sew and cook, was actually holding a sword, one that had probably killed someone at one point in time!

Theo saw the joy in the young woman's eyes, and he turned to the ship's captain.

"If the captain wouldn't be opposed, I would teach Miss Annette how to fight," he said.

"I'm not opposed," Joanna said, an eyebrow arched as she looked up at the man. "By all means, she needs to know how to fight."

"I think we should get to bed early tonight," Hawk suggested. "It's going to be a tough night because of the weather, and the sooner we can try and sleep, the more sleep we might actually get."

"Agreed," Joanna said, getting up from the table.

She and Hawk left, and they were followed out by Adelinde. Peter and Theo stayed to help clean up the galley. There wasn't much to be done, and Peter was about to offer to walk Annette back to her room, when he saw Theo already opening the galley door for her. Personally, he thought the pirate was a good man, perhaps not even a pirate, and he didn't mind that Theo was walking Annette back. It seemed rather _English_ and proper. Annette's father would most likely approve.

Annette, for her part, thought nothing of it, but thanked the man for walking her back and then bid him good night. She was excited about learning to swordfight, more so than she showed, and as soon as she was in her room, she brandished the sword a bit, watching how the blade glittered in the flashes of lightning that occasionally illuminated the room.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5

The next morning, the storm hadn't quite passed but was definitely on its way out. Joanna held a conference with Hawk at the helm, leaning against it while making sure everyone did his or her jobs right.

"Hawk," she told her friend, "We need money. For provisions mostly, but we may have to use it to pay off Jack too."

"There's a town across the cove," Hawk said, "I'll bet there's a pub. We've never been here before; profits will be slim but good."

"I thought of that," Joanna said, stroking Bourbon, who was perched on her shoulder. "But if you and I leave the ship, that's everyone that I trust. Who's to say the others won't hire two blokes while we're gone and haul out on us?"

"They haven't got the moneybags," Hawk pointed out, "You and I do. They couldn't hire anyone."

"Still."

Bourbon echoed his mistress's sentiment with an uneasy fluttering of his wings. He would be needed to keep watch at the tavern and fly in for rescue if things got nasty. The last person who had tried to attack Joanna wore bandages around where his eyes had been, thanks to Bourbon's talons.

"You could leave me on the ship," Hawk offered.

Joanna shook her head. "What else would start a good drinking game like a pretty girl and an impudent boy? I wouldn't take Adelinde, she would mess the whole thing up by opening her mouth. And Theo watches Annette like…well, like a hawk. He would never let her do such a thing."

Eliza Hawk shrugged her shoulders. "You'll just have to change the act, that's all. Take Hastings; Theo is pretty fond of him and Theo is the only one I would have trouble with I think, authority-wise. If you take Hastings, he'll have more reason to stay with us. While you two are getting money, Annette and Theo can go get supplies."

Joanna sputtered. "Eliza!" she exclaimed.

Hawk sighed. Joanna only used her first name when she was either in the middle of the drinking act or particularly upset.

Eliza placed her hand on Joanna's shoulder. "Sparrow," she said seriously, "It's not hard. Take Hastings, say you two are best mates or something, he's clever and you have a hot temper, you're bound to start some kind of fight."

Joanna huffed indignantly, but turned from her friend. "Theo! Hastings!" she ordered, her voice carrying over the ship. "To the helm, both of you, immediately!"

It didn't take long. It amused both women that the men snapped to attention at first but then relaxed, but the women pretended they hadn't noticed. Swiftly, the situation was explained, and met with two very different reactions. Theo nodded his head with a "Yes, Ma'am," and went to prepare the longboat for the four of them to go ashore. Hastings raised his eyebrows, looking down at Joanna. Although she was several inches shorter than he was, her commanding presence made her still able to look down her nose at him. It went against everything in the soldier's nature to take commands from a pirate (and a woman, for that matter!) but he was under orders from Theo to obey orders from the young woman captain and her spirited first mate. So after deliberating with himself for a few short seconds, he too nodded and went to help Theo.

"Hastings!" Joanna stopped him when he was a couple of stairs down. Now she stood over him. "Since it was Hawk's idea, she'll help with preparations."

Hawk rolled her eyes and left.

"You and I," Sparrow continued, "Have got to come up with an act."

"Right," Hastings said, glancing around. "We've got to start a drinking game and get people to bet on you right?"

"That's what we just discussed, yes."

Hastings eyed the woman in front of him. "Well, I'm not sure we'll have too much trouble getting people to bet against you. How much can you drink, out of curiosity?"

"I'll put it this way: only one man has ever beaten me, and he's the one we're after. When I finally passed out, the owner of the tavern had to go out of business until he could get another delivery."

Hastings gave a low whistle, though he didn't quite believe it. "That must have been expensive."

Joanna smirked. "That's the trick of it. Most of the time Hawk and I can get someone else to pay for the drinks."

"Alright."

The two of them considered.

"How much can you drink, Hastings?" Joanna wondered.

"A fair amount, I'd say."

The woman chewed her lip thoughtfully. "I've got nothing," she finally admitted. "My area of expertise is the sea. Hawk's the dramatic one."

"Wait, wait, I've got an idea," this soldier in disguise piped up. "What if you and I go in together, I'll get them riled up, then challenge them to drink against you."

"I'm not following."

He exhaled impatiently. "You and I go into the pub, I'll order a couple of drinks and we'll sit and enjoy them like normal folk, then when they start noticing you I can challenge them, saying something like 'I'll bet you couldn't even outdrink her!' which will of course incite them to want to prove that they can indeed outdrink you…the bartender will think it will all be over in a couple of shots and pay for the drinks, or someone will anyways, and I'll start the betting. If you can drink as much as you say you can, it should work."

"Oh it sounds marvelous," Joanna said flatly. "Except for one thing."

"I can't believe I'm doing this!" the captain declared for the umpteenth time. She, Hastings, Theo, and Annette were in the longboat heading for land, leaving Hawk, Peter and Adelinde on the ship. Joanna was gripping the plank she sat on so hard that her knuckles were white. "I can't believe I'm wearing a dress!"

It had been Hastings's idea, and Hawk had thought it was wonderful, and even Joanna had to admit it was a good plan, but she hadn't worn a dress in all her life to her knowledge. Although, technically, it wasn't a dress. She had borrowed a shirt and skirt from Hawk, and let down her long braid to brush her hair and pin it in a more feminine fashion. Annette had had to help, which was humiliating. If this idea didn't bring in a steep profit, Joanna was going to murder Hastings.

"Remember," Hawk that evening said as she helped lower the longboat bearing her best friend, "You've watched me do it a hundred times. Smile coyly, toss the hair that falls around your face, and act absolutely airheaded."

"Right."

"And stop glaring at everyone. Open your eyes wide and innocent-looking."

Hastings had opened his mouth to add to that advice, but Joanna had silenced him with a glare. She was mad enough at him as it was, so he decided not to push her further. The falcon was sitting on her shoulder cleaning his razor-sharp talons threateningly.

Theo expertly guided the longboat to the dock and paid the fare to the manager while Joanna picked the manager's pocket. She explained to the others later that he had probably stolen the money from someone else and could steal more, so he wouldn't miss it. Half the contents of the purse she had stolen went to Annette, who was absolutely appalled, and the other half went to Hastings so he could buy drinks. Then the group separated.

"He's not coming in, is he?" Hastings wondered, eyeing Bourbon, who glared a falcon's glare at him. "I mean, he'll attract attention."

"No," Joanna said quietly. "Bourbon stays outside unless I call him." So saying, she nuzzled the falcon affectionately and bid him farewell. He took to the sky where he could follow her, and he knew to perch on the roof of whichever building she entered, near a window so he could hear.

"Smart bird," Hastings commented, before giving out a gasp of surprise as Joanna threw herself at him.

Actually, she hadn't thrown herself at him, but looped her arm around his waist and leaned heavily on him. The soldier was surprised simply because women where he came from kept respectful distances from the men unless they were engaged. However, he was learning to accept readily the surprises and etiquette breaches that this world threw at him, so he tried to relax and even tentatively placed an arm around the woman's shoulder.

"Good job, _dear_," Joanna muttered, still not at all happy. Still, she was a good actress and her energy rubbed off on Hastings somewhat, so he grew more relaxed as they went in search of the pub.

It was not a large port, so the tavern wasn't hard to find. However, it was a small one and Joanna slowed her gait, causing Hastings to stumble. The captain was worried.

"It's so small," she murmured. "That'll never fetch a profit."

Hastings pulled her closer, saying quietly, "If this doesn't work you have my permission to keel-haul me." Then he laughed his best imitation of a drunken laugh, as if what she had just said was the funniest thing in the world, and then surprised the both of them by kissing her cheek.

Joanna grimaced and rubbed her face, pretending his stubble had caused irritation, trying to hide her inflamed cheeks.

Hastings shook his head at himself. _Goodness_, he thought,_ if things stay the way they are by the end of the trip I'll have no morals left!_

The two of them were hardly noticed as they walked. The tavern, when they entered, was surprisingly full of people for such a small port. Still, it was evening, the sun had almost gone from the sky, and it was a popular time to be drunk. Joanna knew this well. She altered her step, making it more faltering as if she were inebriated. Hastings followed her lead.

The captain's nerves disappeared as she began, officially, to play her role. It wasn't as hard as she had first thought. She wasn't the only wench in the place, but she was a new face among the regulars, so every male eye gradually turned in her direction. It also helped that Hastings slammed the door open, announcing their arrival with a bang. He left her to find a table for them, and she did. She found a table in the center of the room where everyone could see her and began attempting to flirt with those around her. Either she was as good as Hawk, or the men were drunker here than in other places, or they were just tired of the same old wenches, or a combination of the three, for they soon flocked to Sparrow. She had to admit, she liked the attention.

Hastings made his way over with two frothing mugs, shoving his way through the crowd.

"Watch it, laddie," one man growled.

Hastings sneered drunkenly back at him. "She's mine," he said, "Came with me, she did, so lay off."

Joanna sighed and smiled at her new friends regretfully, trying to make out like she wouldn't actually stay with Hastings if there was a higher bidder. Sensing this, Hastings looped his arm around her shoulder again. She wiggled free, giggling, and threw her arms around one of the other men. There was a chorus of laughter.

"It doesn't look like she's leavin' with ye, lad," the man with Sparrow said, grasping her tight.

That was uncomfortable, so Joanna pulled free again and sat on a chair to be surrounded by her admirers again.

Hastings approached the man she had just left. "Ye aren't man enough for her!" he scoffed lopsidedly.

"Not you either!" someone else called, causing a chorus of laughter again.

"Oh really?" Hastings said, taking a gulp from his drink. Joanna was impressed, his eyes only watered a little from the strong alcohol. "I'll bet you can't even outdrink the wench!"

Sparrow gasped in mock surprise.

More drunken laughter than before.

"How much would you wager on that, pup?" the first man growled.

"All I've got, including my ship," Hastings said, throwing the purse Joanna had stolen earlier on the table, "And the whoever wins can have the wench."

The "wench" in question was _not_ pleased at being included in the betting, nor the ship being included, but she looked flirtatiously from under her lashes at the men around her.

That got them almost fighting over who was to drink against her.

"All of ye pipe down!" a voice suddenly boomed from the back of the crowd. "I'll handle this!"

The crowd parted to allow a huge man through. Hastings paled but tried not to show it.

"I'll pay for the drinks," the huge man said, "And I'll drink against her. The wench can go with whoever catches her pretty body when it goes down."

Joanna wasn't particularly worried, especially after the huge man offered to pay. She'd gone against larger men in her time. Pouting and touching the arms of several of the men around her, she made her way to the table and sat across from the large man. Because of his order, she was immediately surrounded on all sides.

"Give a girl some breathin' room, gents," she said playfully. They obliged.

Hastings, recovering, started taking bets. Of course, everyone bet in favor of the pub hero, the large man.

_Remember to act like it's affecting you_, Joanna thought to herself as she sipped the drink put in front of her, matching his movements exactly, _think like Hawk_.

To make things interesting, she started swaying after the first mug. The betting grew more heated. Hastings was betting everything that they had for Joanna, hoping against hope that she could drink as much as she said she could.

He needn't have worried. Of course, he didn't know she was faking when she swayed or blinked furiously as if trying to stay conscious, so he did worry. He was sweating profusely but his palms were cold. It was very dark out now, Theo and Annette would be wondering where they were.

A couple of hours passed. By now both drinkers were swaying and the bettors were holding their breath with anticipation. They had never seen a woman drink so much. The man drinking against her was completely intoxicated. Sparrow judged that one more drink would knock him out, and she was a very good judge. So she made herself shake violently and grasped the table as if for support.

Roars of encouragement for the hero echoed throughout. He was encouraged enough to order the next drink.

As she had predicted, he fell out of his chair after his first gulp. The silence that followed was thick enough to be cut with a sword.

Joanna hiccupped and wandered over to Hastings, taking the purse out of his hands and holding it up. The men now looked at her with a nervousness that bordered on fear, but they wouldn't attack her. So they paid what they had bet, and what she couldn't fit in the purse she hid in her clothes, which made Hastings blush. Sparrow was still giggling and leaning heavily on Hastings as they left.

As soon as they got out of the pub, she gave one last hiccup for good measure. Then she straightened her shirt and hair, completely sober and not bothering to hide it. She whistled to Bourbon, and took off at a sprint back for the docks. Hastings was confused until he heard the angry voices behind him disrupting the silence they had left. Then he too took off towards the docks.

Theo and Annette were waiting for them, both pacing with worry. When Sparrow saw them, she called from a distance for them to cast off. Annette was confused but Theo obeyed without question. Hastings, who was rather more scared of the mob that was following them than his captain, had passed her and arrived in time to push the boat off. Joanna, not far behind, leaped from the dock and landed gracefully in the middle of the boat. Then she tossed her head back and laughed.

They had to spend the night ashore since it was too dark to see the ship, so Theo rowed them around to another dock to confuse the drunken mob enough that they finally wandered back to the pub. Then the two men and two women made their way quietly to the inn, which was on the nicer side of the small port town, and procured two rooms. Sparrow was all for the four of them sharing a room to save money, but Theo put his foot down. So the captain, who retained fierce control of the purse (and the other money, though Hastings didn't really want to know where she had hidden most of it) grudgingly paid for two rooms, one for the women and one for the men.

Annette was secretly relieved that Theo had intervened. She was sure sharing a room with a man would cause quite a stir back home if anyone found out about it. She took to her bed quietly, as Joanna was still grumbling about how men with morals would be the ruin of her.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 6

"So," Theo addressed Hastings the next morning as they prepared to leave. "I didn't get a chance to hear about your adventure in the pub with our captain last night. You were so shaken and tired I didn't have the heart to ask you. Tell me about it."

Hastings let out a breath. "That woman frightens me," he said, running his fingers through his messy brown hair, "She outdrank a regular giant of a man and wasn't affected at all! The man was this tall –" he indicated "and this wide, and he was on the floor out cold. And what did she do? She was faking the entire time. I was having a heart attack watching because she was shaking and swaying and whatnot, but she was completely sober! Once we got out of there she just ran straight to the boat! They chased us because no one expected her to actually win and so they lost a lot of money. More than was in the purse."

Theo was smiling. "It's good for you to get out and see more of the world," he told the Lieutenant. "Even though these people live different lives than we do, they are Englishmen and women as well and so we as soldiers are also charged with protecting them. Lots of people you'll encounter in the higher ranks of the Royal Navy tend to forget that."

"Yes, everyone seems to fear the military around some of these ports."

Theo sighed and clasped his subordinate's shoulder. "A sad fact," he said, "That we should change."

They resumed preparing themselves. It was only a few minutes before they heard someone pounding on the door.

"Get out here!" A Scottish woman's voice yelled. "We're out with the tide, with or without you!"

Then Annette's voice drifted through the door. "You wouldn't actually leave without them…"

"No need to worry," Theo said, smiling and opening the door, "We're ready to be off."

"It's about time," Sparrow commented, and led them back to the longboat.

When they reached the ship with the money and supplies they had gathered, Peter would have greeted them warmly had not Joanna immediately set about shouting orders. She was uneasy, for some reason. She just had a feeling that this day would not be a good one. It was not a good feeling, so to take her mind off of it she claimed the helm and let no one else touch it. Bourbon was uneasy as well. The falcon wouldn't leave her shoulder for anything, as if he was afraid he would be lost if he let go.

_You never know when an animal might be your salvation_, Jack had said upon meeting Bourbon, _they know things that we don't._ Joanna kept that advice close.

The hours passed silently as the ship slid through the smooth water, hardly making a ripple. The captain chewed her lip nervously while she steered, refraining from her normal yelling at the crew. She knew that they knew what to do; there was no sense in wasting her breath on redundancy.

It was eerie to have Joanna so quiet. The rest of the crew could feel her unease. There was smog in the air that made it hard to see and added to everyone's discomfort. Sparrow had a compass and knew where she was going, but who knew when she would run into another ship? Biting her lip, she called out to her crew.

"Someone make noise down there! It's too blasted quiet! Gives me the shivers!" her voice was muted by the thickness of the air, but everyone heard it.

It was only a matter of time, and Joanna knew it was inevitable, but it was Hawk who started _the song_.

"Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me!

We pillage and plunder, we rifle and loot

Drink up me 'earties yo ho!

We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot,

Drink up me hearties, yo ho!"

The captain, and everyone else, scrambled to have their voices about Hawk's. Bless her heart, but she couldn't sing to save her life.

"We're rascals and scoundrels, villains and knaves

Drink up me 'earties yo ho!

We're devils and black sheep and really bad eggs

Drink up me 'earties yo ho!

Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me!"

The chorus of voices, more or less on key, a bit hysterical, but all trying to dispel the eerie quiet, was doing the trick. Joanna was smiling now, though her eyes were still alert for danger. Peter and Hastings were providing percussion accompaniment to the song as Adelinde and Hawk taught Annette and Theo a jig. Voices and tempo only varied slightly when the smells surrounding them changed.

Smoke. Every sailor on board could smell it.

"Continue!" Joanna called, trying to encourage the voices again. She knew there could be only one reason for this much smoke out in the sea, and it scared her. But she wouldn't show it. Her strength encouraged the others and they returned to singing and dancing. But there was less heart in it now. Peter left his post and mounted the stairs to where Joanna stood, neither of them singing or smiling.

"What is it?" Peter asked, indicating the air.

"Smoke," the woman said tersely.

"I know that. What's it coming from?"

Joanna was quiet for a long time before she answered. "I think you know. Hopefully we'll sail on past without getting a glimpse of anything, however…" here she turned to look at the British man seriously. "You're going to have to get her out of the way_ fast_ if anything happens."

Peter nodded, understanding that she meant Annette. He remained with Joanna, both of them standing in silence while Bourbon made worried sounds. The others had continued onto a different song, although it was quieter, now that the smoke was almost too thick to breathe, and then…

Annette screamed.

Joanna leaped into action. "Peter! Get her below this instant! Hastings, Theo, secure those sails! There may be sparks flying around! Hawk, Adelinde, ready the longboat, search for survivors! I'll steer her on our momentum until it clears!"

As she gave orders, they were hastily obeyed, for Annette had screamed when she saw the first of the burning ships. There was a large quantity of them, more than twenty, some barely above the water any more. All of them were flying the flag of the British Empire. There was no sign of what had attacked them.

"Captain, sir! I mean ma'am!" Peter called, returning from below decks where he had stashed his cousin. "Orders?"

"Steer!" she said.

He came and took the helm. Joanna sprinted down the stairs and with her aid Hawk and Adelinde were soon out on the open water, picking their way through burning debris as they called out for survivors. Every body they checked was no longer living.

While they were out, Joanna ordered Hastings and Theo into the other longboat, to push burning things away from the ship so it wouldn't catch fire. Soon those two were gone as well, and Joanna was left to pace up and down the deck worriedly. She had never seen anything like this before, never even heard of something like this happening. The stories her mother told of the pirates she had encountered in her lifetime – and she had encountered many, since Joanna's mother had been a wench – never came close to this. It would have had to have been an entire fleet of ships with some sort of armor, Joanna reasoned, to have taken out the British ships around them. What chilled her most was that there was no hint of the other ships. All of the burning boats were of British Naval origins; no trace of whatever enemy they had encountered. Joanna didn't feel for the British in particular, but she was sailing on a British ship right now, clearly marked as such, and whatever had come after the now-wrecked ships around them might decide to come after Joanna and her crew. She needed to find Jack, and fast.

"Ahoy! Captain! We found one!" The cry came from Hawk. She and Adelinde were rowing back slowly, since in the bottom of the boat lay an injured man.

"One alive?" Peter called.

"Stand at your post, Taylor!" Joanna ordered, lest he try to run down and crowd the man, and shooed Bourbon off her shoulder to perch by the helm. She helped the other women get the man on deck, where he was laid on a spare sail to keep the blood from seeping into the deck. Then Adelinde and Hawk were ordered back out to help push the debris back on the other side of the ship from Hastings and Theo, and both crews of the longboats were ordered to continue searching for survivors. However, everyone knew the chances of finding any others were slim.

Once the others were gone, Joanna appraised the man. He was a soldier of low rank, probably a Lieutenant like Hastings, and so quite young for a soldier. And he was going to die. Joanna Sparrow had seen enough in her eighteen years to know that he hadn't a chance. So she did nothing to try to staunch the bleeding coming from where splinters of wood had stabbed into him, nor did she do anything to try to ease the severe burns that covered the left half of his torso and back. Instead, she slid her hand to his cheek, ignoring the sticky blood, and turned his face to look at her. His eyes were closed and his breathing was shallow.

"Soldier," she ordered in her best Theo voice. "Look at me."

He opened his eyes. They weren't focused.

"Soldier," Joanna addressed him again. "Report your name and rank."

Scarlet liquid trickled from the corner of his mouth as he answered. "Edmund Conner, Lieutenant."

So she had been right about his rank. Joanna sensed that he was answering mainly from reflex, since she addressed him like a military superior.

"Report the situation as you can," she ordered.

He took a wet, shuddering breath. "Captain Savage," he managed to gurgle. "Is what the men…were calling to each other…Only caught a glimpse of him myself…before the powder kegs…" He choked and was forced to stop talking.

Sparrow shushed him as he closed his eyes again. She could feel his pulse beneath her fingers. It was weak, fluttering. He didn't have much time left. She stayed by his side as he drew several more shallow breaths. Suddenly, his eyes opened again, and they focused on the woman who held him.

"Are you…a pirate?" he asked, barely whispering.

"Yes," she answered.

He gave a cough that Joanna suspected was an attempt at a laugh.

"Imagine…a woman pirate…" his eyes closed again, and opened, and this time he was smiling faintly. "It sounds like something my…Cora…my betrothed…won't she love to hear about it…"

Sparrow felt a lump form in the back of her throat, and tears sprang to her eyes. She blinked them back. Now was not the time to cry.

The soldier's smile faded. He furrowed his eyebrows, sensing from Joanna that something was wrong. "I won't…I won't get to tell her…will I?"

Hiccuping, Joanna shook her head. No.

Surprisingly, he relaxed and leaned into her hand on his face. "Ah well," he said. Joanna could barely hear him. "At least…I'll be with my Lord today…" Saying that, he attempted to raise his arm.

Seeing that he was too weak for such motion, Joanna stopped him and reached for his hand. Tightly gripped in his fist was a rosary.

"Take it," the soldier whispered. "Take it for me. You need it more than I do."

No matter how hard she tried to suppress them, tears were flowing freely down Joanna's cheeks. She took the soldier's hand with the rosary and brought it to where he could see her take the beads and attached crucifix.

"Keep the Lord…near your heart…always…" the soldier said, grasping Joanna's hand tightly before he let go and breathed his last.

The captain allowed herself to sob, just once, before she placed her fingers on his eyelids and closed them. She didn't know much about the church, but she knew sometimes they crossed themselves. So she made a cross on the man by removing her hand from his face and touching it once to his forehead, to his chest, and then to each shoulder, and whispered "Amen."

Peter watched the exchange between the woman who was his captain and the British soldier from his post at the helm. He longed to be down there, hearing what the soldier had to say about what had happened to him. But as he watched, Peter realized that what was going on there was for Joanna's ears alone. She would tell him and the others what they needed to know, but Peter knew that a dying man often gives away his innermost thoughts to a trusted friend on his deathbed, and Joanna was the only person near, the only friend, that the soldier had. So Peter Taylor realized that if he knew what the soldier had said to Joanna, he would know the most intimate thoughts of the man, and it would be a burden to bear for the rest of his life. He also knew that Joanna would consider that man her friend for as long as she lived, and asking her what the man had said would be prying too much into something that someone else would rather keep secret. So he watched them speak without hearing them, keeping to his duty and steering the now slow-moving ship.

When the other four crewmembers returned, Joanna Sparrow was composed and sewing the soldier's body into the sail he had laid on. Traditionally, he would have been sewn into his hammock for burial at sea, but Joanna hadn't the strength to move him. She didn't tell them anything other than the information on Captain Savage, and what she had heard of the dread captain before. The rest she kept to herself, the rosary tucked under her shirt where the others couldn't see. Theo and Hastings took the body of their comrade out in a longboat and respectfully lowered it into the ocean far enough from the ship and debris that it wouldn't be damaged. They returned with solemn faces.

Once she gave Peter the orders for which direction they were to sail in and Hastings and Theo were busy unfurling the sails again, Joanna locked herself in the captain's cabin and did not come out.

Adelinde and Hawk went to relieve poor Annette, who was nearly sick with worry. They relayed to the poor girl all that had happened, playing down the details since she was so fragile. Since no one wanted to be alone, the three women sat, holding each other, in their quarters until it was too dark to see.

The lamps were lit, causing eerie shadows in the fog that lay upon the ship. Joanna emerged from her room, her face completely blank, and took up the helm, allowing Peter to eat a meal with the others and go to bed. By reflex, Hawk woke several hours later and shifted into the position at the helm, allowing Joanna to rest. And so they rotated through the night, the three of them and Hastings, who insisted on taking the position once dawn broke.

The daylight chased away the fog, leaving only a clear blue sky and a single line of green on the horizon. Hawk, who kept lookout, cried, "Land, ho!" dutifully, but the call was not received with any sort of reaction from the others. Part of this was because there was no wind, so the ship was moving slowly, if at all.

Joanna was pacing again, waiting for Hastings to give up his post at the helm.

"If I may ask, Captain," Annette said on her way past with the waste bucket she had just dumped overboard, "Are you that impatient to get to Jack Sparrow?"

"Yes," Joanna said softly. "I want to get on land and get my brother so we can get out of here. I don't like the sound of this Captain Savage fellow. The last thing I want is him on our tail."

Hastings finally relinquished the helm. Joanna walked to it but just leaned on it. "I'd like to reach land by nightfall, perhaps find another pub," she said. "That's where Jack is most likely to be. I supposed I trust you lot enough to watch the ship while I'm gone, so perhaps…"

"With all due respect, ma'am," Theo said curtly. "I'd like to find a church ashore where I could pray for the fallen. Please, with this trip, must we engage others in revelries of excess?"

Everyone was staring at him, not having expected this sort of thing from a common sailor. Joanna hid her surprise and looked at the man with disdain.

"The fallen are fallen," she said, turning away from him. "You may do as you are ordered."

"Really!" Hastings exclaimed. "Captain, hundreds of men died yesterday, and you won't allow us to pay our respects for them?"

"I will when the dead start paying respects back," she said, not turning around.

Theo walked up the stairs towards the helm. "Look, please –"

Joanna whirled on him. "It is not your place to question your captain, nor is it my job to concern myself with those who have fallen behind!" she said in a low voice. "However, it _is_ your place to obey my orders and it _is_ my job to protect my _living_ crew so they do no _join_ the fallen. And I cannot keep proper watch over the living and the dead at the same time. So I will concern myself with the living, Theo, and make sure they remain in that condition for as long as possible. I accept what I cannot change and I advise that you do the same. Return to your post."

Silence hung heavy over the ship for a few moments as Theo and Joanna faced each other down. He was two steps below her, so she was able to look him straight in the eyes. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he backed down, saying "yes, ma'am," just as the wind picked up.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Seven

That night found Joanna and her crew with more money, but no success whatsoever in finding information about Jack Sparrow's whereabouts. Everyone on the island that heard his name laughed the pirate to scorn, and Joanna got back onto the _British Pride _with a deep scowl on her face. She ate her dinner in a huff and then retired to the captain's cabin for the rest of the evening.

When the following morning arrived, the captain was waiting for everyone when they arrived on deck.

"We're going to Jamaica ," she called out. "I've had enough of this disappointing search for Jack, and as much as I don't care for the island, that's where we'll be sure to find out where he is."

"Why do you not like Jamaica?" Theo asked. "It is the most crowded, informative pirate port in the whole of the Caribbean. Its popularity nearly triples from Tortuga's."

"Because it's a major trading port," Joanna frowned. "Of people as well as items and information. There are no qualms there about simply grabbing some innocent bystander and selling them seconds later. It's a merciless place. Only Hastings and you are to go ashore with me. The others will have to stay with the ship. It's too dangerous for everyone."

"When can we expect to get there, Captain?" Peter asked, looking up at the perfectly clear sky and smiling at the gentle breeze that pushed the ship along.

"By this afternoon. Everyone set about your duties. Annette, it is high time we ate breakfast," Joanna ordered.

Everyone moved about their tasks, diligently and without question. It was no doubt the best crew Joanna had ever commanded, if not the smallest. The only people aboard she was uncertain about were Theo and Adelinde, but they still managed to do their duties without much complaint, and Theo never complained, he simply liked to question occasionally.

Several hours passed, finding the late hours of the afternoon. The sun was about to set, and the coast of Jamaica was not far off, aglow with hundreds of lights. Joanna was not excited to be going ashore, but she faced her upcoming feat with determination. Her eyes glared at the shoreline as she steered, preventing her from seeing the immense ship that was fast approaching them from the stern.

"Captain!" Hastings called. "Ship approaching from the stern, ma'am!"

Joanna turned her head and promptly let go of the helm.

Behind them was _The Darius_, the largest slave ship in all Seven Seas, and there could be no doubting that she was after the _British Pride._

"What shall we do, Captain?" Peter called from the deck.

"Race them to the shore!" Joanna shouted. "Run up the sails! Be ready for gunfire!"

"Captain, she's far too fast to outdistance," Hawk said, coming to her captain's side. "You know that."

"Aye, but the difficulty for us isn't our speed, it's our ship," Joanna nodded, turning the helm. "We're flying the British flag and we have a British name. _The Darius _expects us to be a ship full of prospective slaves and provisions. Were we a pirate ship, we wouldn't have this trouble."

"They're running out the guns, Captain!" Theo's shout reached the helm.

"What should we do?" Annette's voice followed.

"Prepare for – "

Joanna's voice was drowned out by the sound of a cannon firing. Theo grabbed Annette and pulled her to the floor of the deck as a cannonball split through the starboard side of the ship's railing and then continued on through the port side railing. Peter and Hastings dropped down as well as another cannonball tore through the topmast.

"Surrender!" A voice called from _The Darius_, and Joanna let out a long sigh.

"We surrender!" she shouted. "We aren't British passengers! I am Joanna Sparrow, pirate captain, and we are trying to make berth in Jamaica!"

"Captain Joanna Sparrow, ay? And since when you give yourself such title, ay Small Bit?" A very Jamaican voice called back.

"Captain Bastian?" Joanna called back, shocked.

"One and the same, Small Bit. What be you doing on such British ship?"

The passengers of the _British Pride _watched as a tall, extremely muscular, dark-skinned man came to the railing of _The Darius_ and looked down on them and their small ship. His hair was in long dreadlocks, pulled back into a ponytail, and one of his big brown eyes had been damaged in battle, now turned white from the blindness. He smiled at Joanna, showing magnificent white teeth, and then he turned and shouted, his voice echoing across the ocean.

"Who shot upon our Little Sparrow? You will repair the captain's ship! Captain Joanna, have you and your crew had dinner yet?"

"Not yet," Joanna grinned. "But, from what I recall, you have a horrific cook."

The captain laughed and shook his head.

"A marvelous memory, Small Bit. I'm afraid it is true."

"I have a cook of my own, however, who would be willing to serve us, were we to come aboard your vessel," Joanna called back. "She's quite the chef."

Annette only looked a little uncomfortable with that as she stood up, holding Theo's hand as he helped her.

"Come aboard, then. Your ship be fixed while we eat," Captain Bastian nodded. Some of his sailors threw ropes down to the _British Pride_, and Joanna stepped away from the helm.

"You trust him enough to leave the ship?" Hawk whispered to her.

"Aye. He's a good friend," Joanna nodded. "He'll see to it that the ship stays safe."

Hawk said nothing more, but grabbed one of the ropes and let the pirates from the other ship pull her up. Joanna came up next to her and was immediately offered a hand by Captain Bastian.

"So good to be seeing you again, Captain Joanna," Bastian smiled, and looked to his side to see a little boy, almost a miniature version of himself, blinking up at Joanna. "Joanna, this be my son, Darius."

Joanna nodded to the boy and then followed the captain towards the hold.

"What be you here for, Small Bit?" Bastian asked, watching as his men opened the hold to the lower decks.

"To find Jack. I hope that you can help me."

"You don't have pirates aboard with you," Bastian frowned. "Be your mates causing you trouble?"

"Only one concerns me," Joanna said easily. "That one there," she said, gesturing towards Theo as he climbed over the railing and gave Annette a hand again. "He challenges me. Not enough to be dangerous, but enough to trouble me."

Bastian's eyes darkened as he looked at Theo, and he nodded.

"Darius," he spoke to his son, "bring Captain Joanna and her mates down into the dining room."

"Aye, Captain!" the boy called and saluted before he led the way.

A proud smile remained on Bastian's face as he watched his son and guests disappear into the hold.

He stepped into line behind Theo and stayed close to the man as he and the others walked down several staircases and then moved into a dark hallway towards the dining room.

Theo knew he was being followed closely, but he was still somewhat surprised when a muscular hand grabbed him by the back of his neck and dragged him into the shadows. He was spun around then, and he could barely make out the face of the ship's captain, for his face was dark, and they were in darkness.

The man began to speak in French, and Theo answered accordingly.

"What be you doing about these parts, Admiral Theodore Groves?"

"I am on a mission to protect one of the _British Pride's _charges, sir," Theo said quietly, and the crush on his throat was loosened. "I mean no harm to her passengers."

"The East India Trading Company is not welcome in this spit of the ocean," Bastian frowned.

"I am here by direct permission of the king, sir. I have nothing to do with the East India Trading Company. My goal is to protect Miss Annette Taylor and perhaps find information about the pirates that will defend innocent peoples from the East India Trading Company. After Lord Cutler Beckett's reign of horror, I have been installed in his place, by the king, to protect those who are innocent. I have no desire to turn Cpt. Sparrow, nor her comrades, nor anyone else over to the king unless I find a valid reason to do so."

"If you were any other scum of the British Empire, I would kill you without thought, however," Bastian spoke, letting go of Theo's neck and lowering his voice, "I owe you a great debt."

"A great debt, sir?" Theo asked, rubbing his neck.

"You saved my son from Beckett's noose," Bastian said softly. "He was being taken to the gallows, to follow his mother and two sisters, but you saw and saved him. I would to God you had been there for my Anista and my daughters."

"I am sorry to have been too late. I would have saved them if I could," Theo said gently. "I am here to do good, not harm. Miss Taylor is more of a personal matter, but I am here to see what I can do for the innocent persons amongst the pirates."

"What consider you to be innocent?" Bastian asked.

"There are pirates, the ruthless ones without hearts and with black souls, who would kill, steal, and ravage without thought, and there are those who do so to try and survive. I would ask, good sir, what the business of this ship is? I had heard _The Darius_ is a great slave ship."

"Indeed it is," Bastian chuckled, leading Theo towards the dining room. "It be a ship full of slaves, and those be the same men and women that keep her afloat and call her home."

Theo smiled and shook the man's hand.

"I wish you the best of luck," he said, and then walked into the dining room, letting Bastian have his turn at being stunned.

"Darius, would you show Miss Annette to the galley? She is to assist the cook in preparing our meal," Bastian said, putting a hand on his son's head.

"Aye, Captain," the child said and then took Annette's arm. "This way, ma'am."

"What is she to prepare?" Joanna asked, sitting in between Adelinde and Hawk, who were across the table from Hastings and Peter.

"Fish. Theo, I want you to go help," Bastian said, and he winked at Theo as he moved past him to follow Annette. "Small Bit," he addressed Joanna when Theo had disappeared, "you can trust that man. I would suggest, if he tell you to do something, you think strongly on the matter. He has seen a bit of the sea, and he means no harm. He saved my greatest treasure, my son, and for that alone, he is trustworthy."

"Really?" Joanna asked, an eyebrow arched.

"How be Bourbon?" Bastian asked, changing the subject. "He still as big a maker of trouble as ever?"

Joanna grinned when the captain pet the falcon, the only other human allowed to do so, seeing as he had helped Joanna care for him after she rescued him from the market in Singapore.

"Still the same," Joanna nodded.

Annette found herself in a huge galley full of flopping, writhing fish. She wanted to put her hand to her nose, to quell the smell somewhat, but she refrained from doing so and instead turned her attention to the cook, a huge man holding an amazing butcher knife.

"Captain said to bring in the new cook," Darius said, not minding the fish at all.

"The new cook?" the man snorted, looking Annette up and down in a way that wasn't at all friendly.

"Only to help," Annette said quickly, uncomfortable even when Theo was standing right there.

"Fine then, pretty hands, start scaling," the cook ordered.

"He's name's Cook Ogre," Darius whispered to Annette with a giggle. "Captain named him so."

"I'm afraid I don't much know how to scale fish," Annette smiled at the boy's giggle.

"I'll show you," Theo said. "It isn't too difficult."

"You're just about as dandy as she is," Cook Ogre snorted.

"I resent that, sir," Theo said, grinning good-naturedly at Annette.

"Can't even scale one, and you certainly can't top me at it. You look like you haven't ever been on the sea as it tis," the good grumbled.

Theo smiled, somewhat smugly it must be admitted, and then grabbed one of the knives, brandished it, and pulled one of the flopping fish towards him.

"You start like so," he told Annette, and showed her, within three minutes, how to properly scale and cut the fish. He then handed the meat to her, and trying her best not to look disgusted, Annette brought it over to one of the pans that was cooking over immense stoves.

Cook Ogre grumbled some more to himself but then left the two alone to work. Annette cut her hands several times on the scales, but she pressed on, taking care of the fish and adding multiple spices and flavors into the cooking pieces.

Up in the dining room, Joanna smiled when she could smell the spices drifting up from the kitchen.

"It smells better already," Bastian said, sitting at the head of the table. "You say you be out here for Cpt. Jack, ay?"

"Aye," Joanna nodded. "Adelinde here requires a debt to be paid from him, and with all the strange happenings with Captain Savage going on, I need to find him."

"Captain Savage, ay?" Bastian asked, suddenly solemn. "That man know some sort of Black Magic."

"I don't' know anything about him," Joanna frowned, leaning forward on the table. "What do you know?"

"It's said him is the holder of the Key to the Dead. He was, that is, until the right was taken from him, and now the key is safely hidden with someone else, which is why Savage has gone on the rampage. That key gave him the power between the world of the dead and ours. He had control over every evil being that was on his or her way from Davy Jones's Locker to the immense blackness and fire beyond. No one knows why the key was taken, or even if it was taken from him by one more powerful, or it was simply stolen. A key with such power would be quite a prize if someone stole it. It brings the evil dead back to life to serve whomever calls them from the depths. Savage has mysterious powers because of that gift he was given, the gift of the key. No one seems to know for sure what those powers are. As for Captain Jack Sparrow," Bastian smiled, breaking the solemnity that had suddenly fallen upon the room, "him is easy enough to find. He is at Shipwreck Cove."

"What is he doing there? He would hate it there," Hawk frowned.

"It's completely enclosed; a regular prison," Adelinde agreed.

"You may recall the story of William Turner, turned into the new Davy Jones, and his wonderful bride, the King of the Pirates, Elizabeth Swann?" Bastian asked, still grinning.

"I recall," Joanna nodded.

"When Elizabeth married William, she forfeited her claim to the kingship. She bestowed that position on Jack. Now, good old Jack wouldn't want to be responsible with such a title, no? So he wished to escape, to find the Fountain of Youth, but the pirate lords caught up with him. He is being held prisoner in the Cove."

"That's simply awful!" Peter exclaimed, and then closed his mouth and bowed his head when everyone looked at him.

"We have to free him," Hastings agreed quietly.

"The first thing to do is get to him. My crew and I are sailing in that direction. We will bring you there," Bastian said. "We can't bring you into the Cove, but we can take you as far as the entrance. It will take several days."

"We accept your invitation," Joanna said, and then turned her head towards the door when there was a knock on it.

"Come in!" Bastian called.

The door opened, and in walked Annette and Theo with large platters of fish and steamed vegetables.

"Dinner has arrived," Annette spoke, placing her two platters down on the immense table and then stepping back and wiping her filthy hands on the front of an apron she wore. "I hope you find it satisfactory."

"There is quite the reward being offered for bringing you back home," Bastian said, putting some fish onto his plate.

"I'm sure of it," Annette said quietly.

"We have no desire to bring her back. She makes a fine cook, and she keeps the ship spotless," Joanna said.

"Darius," Bastian said fondly as his son moved to him.

"Sir?"

"Tell some of the women to prepare two large baths, each in a separate room, for our notable cooks. Theo and Miss Annette are in need of a good scrub."

Such a look of relief appeared on Annette's face that the captain couldn't help but laugh.

"Not all pirates are filthy, Miss Annette," he grinned.

Bastian joked with Joanna about buying Annette off of her, after the meal was finished and he wasn't just satisfied, but wishing he had more room in his stomach for more food. That hadn't happened for him in quite some time, and he was delighted with the meal.

Once Theo and Annette were finished with their baths, they returned to the _British Pride_ where the rest of the crew was preparing for the night. Joanna had no intentions of steering at all this evening, for Bastian had had his men connect a line from _The Darius _to the _British Pride _so that there was no need at all to steer. The crew was in excellent hands, as Joanna trusted Bastian completely. She was shocked, however, to find that after having grabbed an apple from the galley and returned to the captain's cabin, Hastings was standing by the door.

"What are you doing here?" Joanna demanded. "Go below and sleep in your bed in the hold."

"If I might speak, captain," Hastings saluted, and Joanna sighed.

"What?"

"I know you trust this captain on the other ship, but his crew may not all be entirely honorable. I wish to sleep here tonight, to see to it that no harm befalls you and Miss Hawk."

Suspicion flickered through Joanna's mind, but she was trying to at least _somewhat _trust her crew, and so she nodded.

"Very well. I'll leave Bourbon out here to keep you company," she added, deciding not to trust Hastings _too _much.

The sailor nodded and made a bed for himself on the floor outside the door.

In the hold, Peter did the same for Adelinde's door, and after walking Annette to her room, Theo wrapped a blanket around himself and stayed outside of her door.

There was nothing wrong with being too careful.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Eight

_"Hey and ho and up she rises,_

_Hey and ho and up she rises,_

_Hey and ho and up she rises,_

_Early in the morning."_

Joanna opened her eyes and sat up to see the sunlight streaming through the curtains into the captain's cabin.

"Breakfast's ready, Captain!" Peter's voice came through the door.

Joanna got up and stretched, and then smiled when Bourbon fluttered onto her wrist.

"Come along, Bourbon. Let's see what the day is up to," Joanna said, and then left the cabin. She stepped out into the sunlight and looked down at the lower deck to see all of her crew members already there. Adelinde and Hawk were arguing over a map, Hastings was hanging off the side of the ship, cleaning up the barnacles that had gathered there, Peter was sweeping the deck, Theo was mending a fishing net, and Annette was sitting on one of the steps, a large piece of brown fabric in her hands as well as a needle with thread.

"Morning, Captain!" Hastings called up to the helm.

"Good morning," Joanna blinked. She watched as Darius and Bastian swung over onto the _British Pride_, and she couldn't help but grin when Darius raced over to Annette.

"A fine day it be for sword practice, ay?" Bastian called up to the helm.

"Sword practice?" Joanna frowned.

"Some members of your crew need to learn more how to be pirates, so you haven't a need to worry for them when battle comes," Bastian nodded. "When was the last time you had swordplay, Captain Joanna?"

"Not for a very long time, I admit," Joanna shrugged.

"You are going to Shipwreck Cove. You need to become better again. Draw your sword," Bastian said, gesturing to the weapon at her side. "Everyone on this ship will get training today."

"Before breakfast? Let me eat first, and then I'll fight," Joanna said.

"Oh, very well," Bastian answered, and then walked down the stairs to the deck. He quietly approached Theo, moving towards him from the back, so he couldn't see him. The pirate captain quietly drew his sword, and he laughed with pleasure when Theo spun around, his own sword in hand, and blocked the attack that Bastian had thrust at him. Theo then lunged forward, swinging his sword and nearly getting Bastian, but Bastian was fast and blocked the assault. Both men were smiling as they fought, both moving professionally, but in very different styles. Theo moved with planned and strategized steps, with grace almost and a feline speed, while Bastian's movements weren't at all calculated, but he too was fast and clever. He signaled for more of his men to join the ship fight, and five others swung over from _The Darius_. Knowing that this was all fun and practice, Hastings , Peter, Adelinde, and Hawk joined in the fight, all of them laughing as they ran across the ship and jumped up on the railings and into the jibs. Bastian's men gave instruction as was necessary, and everyone benefitted from the fight. Bastian signaled to Darius as he ran by, and Darius smiled and pulled out a sword on Annette.

"I haven't a sword, nor do I know how to use one," Annette smiled, putting her sewing work down and standing up. "I'm afraid I'll just have to surrender."

"Surrender is not an option," the boy said firmly, much to Annette's surprise. "Here."

He handed her a sword, and she took it uncertainly. She then stepped forward and nearly tripped on her long skirt.

"Hmm. Come with me, prisoner," Darius said, taking her hand and leading her to the railing. He whistled, and two ropes were thrown down to them. "Hold on," he ordered, and he and Annette were pulled up to _The Darius_.

Joanna joined the fighting a minute later, having finished her breakfast in a hurry so she could be part of the action. She moved next to Peter, who was battling two of the men, and then helped him ward them off. She and Peter worked as a team, though it was clear that she was the better swordsman, for she had had far more practice and experience. She found her way over to Theo, who was thoroughly enjoying his fight with Bastian. She found quickly that Theo didn't need any help whatsoever, so she raced to the other women on the ship and helped them.

More and more of Bastian's men boarded the ship, all of them wanting to practice and enjoy the fake fight. Darius and Annette came over as well, landing on an isolated part of the ship. Annette was in a pair of black breeches, and although she wouldn't admit it, they were significantly more comfortable than her skirts.

"Now we should be able to fight!" Darius said triumphantly. "Besides, when you meet real pirates, it'll be safer if you're wearing breeches. They won't consider you to be a wench or a prisoner."

Annette laughed lightly, wondering what on earth her father would think of all this, but then she held out her sword, protecting herself from Darius.

"That's good!" he smiled, swinging his sword again and watching her block it. "That's the first thing you need to know, how to protect yourself."

He danced with her for about ten minutes, making her move lithely in ways that, as a genteel, sophisticated English woman, she'd never had to move before and never could have because of her dresses. Darius was extremely fast and flexible, being all of eight years old, and so he caught her off guard many times, but his training helped her, and before half an hour was over, he gave her a little shove towards the adults fighting.

"Go on," he said. "I think you can do it."

Annette wasn't at all positive of that as she moved to where Hawk and Adelinde were fighting. The adults were much faster and much trickier than Darius had been, but Annette did her best, holding her own until Bastian gestured for five of his men to cut her off from the others and attack her.

"That wasn't nice," Joanna, who had taken the place of Theo five minutes ago, said.

"It is good for her. It will get her blood boiling and her heart racing," Bastian chuckled. "She needs to fight with instinct, not like a dancer. You need to be more outgoing. You are defending well, but you are not opposing."

Another half hour later found the former fighters stretched out on the _British Pride's _deck, basking in the sun and resting. Annette brought up food, while everyone was in that situation, and the crews and people of both ships were able to have a delicious meal.

"Well done, all of you, for being out of shape," Bastian said from his place in between Joanna and Theo. "I am impressed. And for one who has never before fought, you have done well," he addressed Annette as she handed him a mug of cold water.

"Your son is an expert teacher," Annette smiled, her eyes catching Theo's momentarily before she looked away, blushing.

Bastian grinned, watching her leave, and then turned to Joanna.

"I believe we should practice as teams this evening. We should be arriving at Shipwreck Cove in the late hours of the night, and I want to see to it that all of you going within will be able to protect yourselves somewhat, as well as each other. You, Hastings, and Peter seem to make a wonderful team, and Adelinde and Hawk are impressive together."

"Annette and Theo have nothing in common, fight wise," Hawk said from Joanna's other side.

"I think, give time, they might do quite well together," Bastian shrugged, ignoring Theo's questioning look. "We'll divide into partners this afternoon, after everyone is rested. Darius is falling asleep over there, and I dare say some of your crew could use a reprieve from battle."

"I daresay," Joanna sighed, getting up and stretching. "I'm certainly tired."

"This afternoon, then," Bastian nodded, getting up and moving to Darius, who was cuddled up on the deck. He picked his sleeping son up and then brought him over to the larger ship.

"I don't think I'll be able to move again," Annette said, sitting down in front of Joanna and the others and stretching her tired and bruised arms.

"You did survive," Peter grinned.

"You're to fight alongside Theo this afternoon. He's to show you more fighting tips," Adelinde yawned.

"I'll only be a thorn in your side, I'm afraid," Annette said, addressing the sailor.

"I highly doubt that," Theo said good-naturedly. "I look forward to seeing what you can do."

"As do I," Joanna nodded.

The afternoon came and went, and not only were the crew of the _British Pride_ well-prepared for battle afterwards, but they were amused as well. Bastian hadn't just meant for Theo and Annette to fight together. No, he had tied Annette's left wrist to Theo's right and had then watched, with no little amusement, as they attempted to defend themselves. Theo had had to teach Annette some valuable lessons, ones that would no doubt come in handy later, and as soon as they had taught themselves to work together, they did indeed make quite the team. Joanna, Hastings, and Peter took some time becoming fighting comrades. Hastings had an uncanny desire to be the leader of their threesome, and he and Joanna fought each other for some time before finally working to fight everyone else. Joanna came up on top as the leader, naturally, and much to Hastings ' quiet annoyance. Hawk and Adelinde seemed as though they had been fighting together all their lives, almost as though they were sisters separated at birth. They had the same fighting styles and techniques, making them a powerful force.

Dinner was served to the famished crews of both ships, and then Bastian pointed out a massive island not far from where the ships were, approaching quickly.

" Shipwreck Island ," he said simply. "My ship and I will stop here. We can't escort you through Devil's Throat."

"I understand. Thank you for bringing us," Joanna said as the ropes holding the _British Pride _to _The Darius _were severed.

"Always a pleasure, Captain. Take care in the passage. It is quite dangerous. There is a terrific swell as soon as you get through the passage, and it will try to pull you against the other ships within. That is where you must be ready," Bastian said, grabbing hold of the rope that awaited him. He was pulled up onto his ship, and he and Darius waved to the crew of the _British Pride _as Joanna moved it towards the volcanic island.

"Captain," Annette said, approaching the helm as they sailed.

"Aye?"

"I thought we might wish to have a bit more security. It isn't much, but it may help," Annette said, unfolding the brown fabric she had been working on earlier.

It was a flag, made of coarse brown material with a large white falcon stitched onto it.

"Very good. Hastings , take down the British flag and hoist this one in her stead!" Joanna shouted, and instantly her orders were obeyed. "Prepare yourselves for rapid waters! Peter and Theo, tie down the sails! Adelinde, Hawk, and Annette, secure all loose items on the ship! See to it especially that the cannons are secured! At my call, all of you grab hold of something solid and hold to it until I say otherwise!"

"Aye, aye, Captain!" the others hurried to obey.

There were no lights at all to guide Joanna and the ship into and through the Devil's Throat passageway, and it was certainly a tedious job. With the dim lighting coming from the _British Pride_, Joanna could see the remnants of what must have been hundreds of ships, floating on the water or pressed up against the spacious walls. There were jagged rocks only a few feet below the ship, she knew, and she prayed heavily that they wouldn't find a dip in the water that would make them crash against the shoals.

The captain had adrenaline rushing madly through her as she evaded one boulder after another and finally saw lights at the end of the tunnel. She knew they were almost into Shipwreck Cove, for she could see hundreds of ships all piled up together in one giant mass, and she kept in mind Bastian's warnings.

"Tie yourselves down, everyone!" she shouted, and her crew immediately rushed to obey, grabbing hold of the masts or whatever other sturdy objects they could find.

Joanna bit her lip as the water picked up speed, turning into a regular rapids as they drew closer to the entrance of the cove. The ship rocked from side to side dangerously, and then it was suddenly swept up into the roaring waterslide of water that was pushing them at a frightening speed towards the shipwrecked mass. The ship nearly flew over a particular mass of water and then crashed into the cove, swirling almost out of control towards the other ships.

Joanna mastered the helm professionally and managed, with no little sweat and worry, to get it to sail smoothly towards the other ships that were loose and then to the mound of ships all piled up together. She took in a deep breath when the _British Pride _finally slowed and came back down under control.

"That was some sailing, Captain," Theo complimented as he released the mast and moved towards Joanna.

"Thank you," she smiled tiredly and then called for the rest of the crew to join them on deck.

"The plan is this," she explained when everyone was listening. "Hawk, Annette, and I will go to the Brethren Court , or whoever of them is here, and see about getting Jack out, so he can come with us. Theo, I want you to man the helm and keep her moving. I don't trust a single pirate in this cove, and I want our ship to be moving at all times, so no one can steal her. Hopefully, Hawk, Annette and I will be back within an hour with Jack. If not, we'll formulate some other plans."

"Aye, Captain!" the men saluted, and they hurried to unfurl the sails and, in Theo's case, to take the helm.

"We're leaving Theo to man the ship?" Hawk asked Joanna as they moved towards the longboats.

"Aye. Bastian seems to have a good bit of faith in him, and even if he doesn't, we have Annette. I tend to think Theo wouldn't leave without her. He'll also have Adelinde here, who isn't going to leave this cove until we find Jack," Joanna nodded. "I think the ship will be safe. This will also be a good test for Annette, to see how well she can do as a pirate."

"Indeed," Hawk nodded and looked back to see Theo handing Annette his sword. He made sure she was comfortable with it and then returned to his duties.

Annette trotted to the other two women, placing a tricorn on her head as she did so.

"Let Hawk and I do all the speaking," Joanna commanded as Peter and Hastings helped lower the longboat they had just stepped into.

"Aye, Captain," Annette nodded.

"And whatever we say to do, do it," Hawk added, and Annette nodded again.

The women could hear guns firing and shouting as they tied the longboat to the only dock available. They then climbed out and made their way into the mountain of ships.

Drunken pirates staggered past them, some of them threatening the women and others of them almost asleep on their feet. Only one managed to answer comprehensively where the ship of the Brethren Court was located, and the women made their way there. The whole place smelled of rum, sweat, and fish, and the mixture of smells was most foul. Annette never complained and she never spoke, doing exactly as she had been told.

They found the Brethren Court 's ship in good timing, and Joanna warned the others before they stepped inside.

"Let me do all the talking. Neither of you speak. I've never met these people before, and I don't know how receptive they will be to even listening to me. Keep your hands on you weapons, because we may need them. Here we go."

There were three of the pirate lords waiting for them when they stepped into the captain's cabin of the ship. Mistress Ching looked upon them with utter disgust. Captain Vallenueva, with his snuff and handkerchief, was just dabbling at his nose and stood up in rather an arrogant fashion when the girls entered. The last of the three, Captain Jocard, was giving orders to his men, but he turned to look at the women.

"What are the likes of vu doing in here?" Captain Vallenueva demanded. "We have no time vatsoever for little girls."

"We're here for Captain Jack Sparrow," Joanna said boldly, glad that Annette was standing on one side of her and Hawk was on the other. It made her feel safer, somehow.

"Captain Sparrow is in confinement," Mistress Ching huffed. "He will not be freed until we can be sure that he won't try and escape again."

"Which will never happen," Captain Jocard added.

"It isn't right to keep him here against his will," Joanna frowned, folding her arms across her chest.

"According to the writings of Morgan and Bartholomew, the pirates are always to have a king, and Jack Sparrow has tried to leave his duties many a time now," Captain Vallenueva sniffed.

"First off, it's _Captain _Jack Sparrow," Joanna scowled. "Secondly, if he doesn't want to be the King of the Pirates, then he should be allowed to leave. He'd make a rotten king anyways. I know that for a fact."

"If you want to see him, you may, but you will not be allowed to take him away from here," Captain Jocard frowned.

"Joanna, might I have a word?" Annette whispered to the infuriated captain.

"If you have something worth saying," Joanna huffed.

"What Morgan and Bartholomew wrote is of no actual standing," Annette spoke, and all eyes turned to her.

"What do you mean?" Mistress Ching demanded. "That book has been the book we live by for centuries! Of course it is of actual standing!"

"Forgive me for disagreeing, ma'am," Annette said softly, "but their book of piracy has only existed for maybe the past seventy years. You see, it was all a joke on their parts. Morgan and Bartholomew were young men when they put that book together. They thought it would be a wonderful pun, to frighten their fathers into thinking they were pirates or were somehow related to them. They handwrote every rule in that book just for amusement, and then they took it to a master bookbinder and had him make the book look ancient. The book isn't really that old, and the only rule in there that still abides today is the rule of parlay. That agreement existed long before Morgan and Bartholomew. I tell no lie. I know Morgan and Bartholomew personally, and they are still alive."

"How do you know any of this?" Captain Jocard demanded, scowling at the young woman.

"Patrick Morgan is my great grandfather."

"You are a terrific liar," Captain Jocard said with somewhat of an amused smile.

"There is another matter at hand," Annette continued. "Captain Aaron Savage has begun tormenting pirates and British alike. He's searching for something, and I'm sure, if you have heard of this legendary pirate, you would know what great a threat he poses."

"Of course we know him," Captain Vallenueva growled. "Who do you think took the Key to the Dead and put it in safekeeping?"

"Do you have it?" Joanna gasped.

"No. It was stolen from us," Captain Jocard frowned.

"As for you, little miss," Captain Vallenueva scowled at Annette, "you know how to barter. You can go see Jack Sparrow. He's housed in the _Bastille de France_. You may not take him out, however. We will consider your requests to release him."

"Thank you," Annette bowed and then turned and left the ship with Joanna and Hawk.

"Your great grandfather?" Hawk asked, an eyebrow arched.

"Aye. I didn't make that up. As far as I know, he and Bartholomew are still out sailing in the Indian Ocean ," Annette nodded. "I wouldn't lie, Hawk."

"You've had to be a diplomat for your father before, haven't you?" Joanna asked, and Annette just smiled.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Nine

"Part of the ship, part of the crew, part of the ship, part of the crew."

Hawk and Annette looked at each other and their captain, puzzled by the odd chanting that had reached their ears. Joanna, however, ignored their looks and instead followed the sound through the labyrinth of ships that made up the fortress.

"Part of the ship, part of the crew. The Dutchman must always have a captain, that much is always made clear and oblivious…obvious. But who's idea was it that there always had to be a pirate king once there was one, ay? Hm? There hasn't been one in 'undreds of years but then, _then_ Jackie goes and gives them one. And what does he do? She, right, Elizabeth was a she…unless Will…anyways, he gets them a king and then their king runs off and marries and starts living an honorable life and leaves Jackie in charge. Fine prediction…predicament you've got yourself into, Jack. Where is that monkey? I want to shoot something!"

Just then the three women came around a corner and spotted Jack Sparrow. He was seated in the brig of the _Bastille de France_ and appeared to be talking to his shoulders. And listening to their answers. When he noticed Hawk, Annette, and Joanna standing and staring at him, he jumped to his feet.

"Joanna, love, don't tell me they got you too!" he cried, coming close to the bars and wrapping his hands around them. "They thought they'd have a queen, did they? Well you can tell them I won't have any of it, if I'm going to be king I'm going to be a dictionary…dictate…I'm going to be king by myself!"

Joanna rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Jack, I wouldn't be stupid enough to let them catch me." Then she lowered her voice. "There's someone you owe money to who was out for my hide, so I'm coming to get you out so she'll stop bothering me and I can live in peace."

"Peace, my dear girl? You're related to the great Captain Jack Sparrow, there ain't ever going to be peace in your life." Jack puffed his chest in pride.

"Yes, yes the great Captain Jack Sparrow who lost his own ship for nine years and landed himself in the brig of a ship that's been grounded for years as some great fop king of the pirates. Now I can be so proud of my heritage. Also, there's the matter of this Captain Savage fellow…"

Clearing his throat, Jack interrupted. "You know, lass, speaking of your heritage…" But then he was cut off by the soft and dangerous voice of Captain Teague, who had come up behind the girls.

"They're here to negotiate your release, Jackie boy," Teague said with no emotion whatever in his voice. "However, they have provided no legitimate reason for doing so, as called for in the Pirate Code."

"Well, actually –!" Annette began her explanation about the pirate code, but Joanna clapped a hand over mouth, hissing for her to shut up. The captain felt a chill down her spine just looking at Teague, all of her instincts told her to run far, far away from this cold man.

Teague noticed the disturbance, but chose not to comment on it as of yet, instead he remained focused on Jack. "If you try to escape with them again, you'll join your mother, boy. As soon as there's a suitable replacement found for your kingship, according to the code." Then, the code master deigned to look in the direction of the three girls. "Who do you call captain?" he demanded. Or asked. It was hard to tell since the man used no inflection in his vocal tones.

Joanna, trying not to show the icy cold lump of fear that had formed in her stomach, gulped and stood forward. She took her hat off her head and swept him a bow, replacing the hat upon her head and trying to look impressive. "I am the captain here, Captain Joanna," she said, "Our ship hovers in the cove, not tied."

"Aye, the one with the bird on the flag," Teague acknowledged. They knew better not to question how he had gotten this information. "While you stay here," the code master continued, eyeing Joanna with no fathomable expression, "You are free to tie your ship at our docks, for it will not be touched by other than your crew. While the tide is coming in and high, Jack will be free to roam the cove and go aboard your ship if you wish. However, with the outing of the tide he is to be locked up again. That is all."

He turned away from the women, clearly dismissing them. However, Joanna stayed, only nodding at Hawk to send word to the _British Pride_. She wanted to converse with her brother a bit more, and Annette stayed with her because she had no hope of keeping up with Hawk, nor did she have a chance at finding her way out of the labyrinthine stack of ships.

"You know, boy, I just realized," Teague said to Jack, "She looks a bit like a Scottish wench I knew once. Same flair for the dramatic. Ah well, bygones is bygones." And with that, he unlocked Jack's cell door and swept out of the brig.

Jack was all for dashing back to the ship as fast as his legs could carry him, but Joanna and Annette blocked his way. Joanna had gone pale, her eyes glazed over.

"Hello?" Jack called, waving a hand in front of her eyes.

She snapped to, and glared at him. "Jack, was that…was that…your father?"

Jack looked around to make sure no one was listening, although no one was near except Annette. "Yours too, by the looks of things," he said, catching Joanna as she fell.

The captain hadn't passed out, but her knees had suddenly gone as soft as cotton and refused to support her weight. "I need rum," she growled.

During the next few hours, even Hawk grew to be worried. Joanna had raided the rum supply of seemingly every ship in Shipwreck Cove. At the beginning she had chugged, trying desperately to get past whatever part of her held alcohol so well. Next she ran about the ship as she drank, doing whatever she could while she drank, as the others just held back. Then she had started singing and ranting, alternatively, the alcohol finally starting to affect her. Currently she was trembling from head to foot, more and more violently with each gulp. She was leaning against the deck rail for support. First Peter, then Hastings, and even Hawk, had tried to approach her and get her to stop, but being so drunk she had violently attacked each of them. So they joined her brother and drank themselves, although responsibly and keeping an eye on their captain. Even Bourbon kept a safe distance.

"Just let her get it out of her system," Jack Sparrow said, gulping at the best rum he'd had since his captivity.

So they waited.

Finally, Joanna fell to the deck with a thud, spilling the little rum she had left in her mug. Hastings leaped forward to help her up, but Jack shooed him off saying "My sister." So he picked up the moaning Joanna, propping her upright against his own body, though carefully positioning her so that she leaned over the deck rail. He managed this with fantastic timing, as right as he got her in position she groaned and threw up.

"Hmm," Theo mused. "It would seem you've had experience with this before."

"She just found out that awful Code Keeper is her father," Annette said by way of explanation. The innocent girl was still getting over the idea of not having known a father, and a father of that soulless type.

"I will admit, she's gotten tougher," Jack said, holding Joanna at a distance now as she puked over the edge of the ship again. "When she found out I was her brother, it didn't take as long for her to fall over."

"Out of curiosity, how did that happen?" Peter wanted to know.

Jack looked at Hawk, winking at her. She glared at him. "You all still doing the same thing, love?" Jack asked.

"Yes," she answered curtly.

"That's it then," Jack told Peter, "They tried it on me. Only I beat her. Not without it affecting me, mind you, which is what tipped me off that we must be related. I'd never seen a woman drink that much in my life, more than most men. So it had to be in the blood. Teague's blood. After he had mum shrunk he, ahem, _knew_ this Scottish wench a bit. My dear sister was the result. And you aren't upholding my reputation one bit," he addressed his still-puking sister loudly.

Joanna snarled something that may or may not have been her opinion of his reputation. She was trying, unsuccessfully, to stand on her own and push back from the rail. Since Jack still had a hold on her, the most she managed to do was fall into him, face-planting into his chest.

Jack Sparrow patted his sister's back awkwardly.

"When I come to," Joanna mumbled, "If anyone speaks about this again, I'll kill them."

As she fell asleep, Jack hoisted her into his arms and carried her to the bed in the captain's cabin. He relayed the crew her message, then set about preparing the ship for a voyage. Since the tide was high and still coming in, there was no getting out of the cove. Around dawn, he knew, the tide would reverse, and he had to be ready to make his escape.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Ten

"Joanna, time to get up. They've taken Jack, and we need to start carrying out whatever plan you have to help him escape," Hawk's voice echoed groggily in Joanna's head.

The captain moaned and rolled over, keeping her eyes shut tightly.

"Let Jack go save 'imself," she grumbled.

"Joanna," Hawk frowned, sitting on the edge of the bed. "We only have a few hours before the tide changes again."

"If I open my eyes now, I'm going to die."

"The sun's about to come up! Rise and shine!" Peter's voice echoed into the cabin. "We've got a plan, and it requires the captain!"

"The captain and more rum," Theo's voice followed.

"Think you can drink some more?" Hawk asked.

"All of you are going to be the death of me," Joanna grumbled, getting off the bed and grabbing hold of the bedpost as she nearly fell over. "How am I supposed to do more drinking? I feel sick."

"A good breakfast should help you," Annette said cheerfully, carrying a plate of vegetables and meat into the room. "That and a lot of water."

Joanna mumbled something incoherent and reached out blindly for the mug of water, refusing to open her eyes. Annette helped her, giving her the mug and watching as the captain gulped all of the water down. While Joanna never would have admitted it, the water helped immensely, flushing out the alcohol in her system, and the good food forced the toxins out of her blood.

"So what's the plan?" she asked when she had finished eating and had relieved herself several times.

"You and Jack are going to challenge the Brethren Court to a drinking game," Adelinde said, entering the room. "While you do that, the rest of us are going to take care of all the surrounding guards so that you and Jack have a clear escape."

"And how are we going to get away from the Brethren Court ?" Joanna frowned.

"Jack said he'd take care of that," Theo grinned.

"Someone needs to stay with the ship to get us away as fast as possible," Joanna said, grabbing her tricorn and pulling it atop her head. "Did he take that into account?"

"He did. He said to leave Theo aboard," Hastings nodded.

"While Jack and I are in the mouth of the lion, he's going to leave you, Peter, Annette, Adelinde, and Hawk to pick everyone off? And who's planning on being in charge of that endeavor? Hawk, are you really planning on ordering such an absurd crew to finish pirates off?"

"I have quite the simple plan. It was Annette's idea, actually," Hawk said, almost sounding surprised.

"Annette?" Joanna asked, an eyebrow arched.

"Cpt. Bastian informed us that my father had a rather large reward put out for anyone who can find me and bring me back to him," Annette said quietly. "If we simply announce that Annette Taylor is on the ship and that the price for bringing him home is close to six thousand pounds, that should be enough distraction for the entire cove. I'll just start running, and with everyone's help, I should be able to get all of us back to the ship while you and Cpt. Jack make your way there. All of the pirates will be too occupied with following me to notice you leaving. You'll just have to deal with the Brethren Court , and Cpt. Jack doesn't seem to think that will be a problem."

"You're going to run all throughout the cove with a whole hoard of pirates following you?" Joanna asked.

"I disapproved of the idea, but there is no better way to distract the cove than with money," Theo sighed.

"We'll make sure she stays safe," Peter nodded. "I f we have to, we'll shoot whoever gets too close."

"I will say, that is clever, Annette. You're actually starting to think like a pirate. I'm impressed," Joanna grinned. "It will have to work."

"I thought I would stay in these breeches to help me run faster," Annette nodded. "I should stay quite safe. I think I may actually enjoy this."

"Jack left it in our hands to set up the game," Hawk said. "Any ideas how to go about doing that?"

"The Court probably already knows we can outdrink anyone," Joanna frowned.

"You might be surprised. They are the Brethren Court , the top pirate lords. They can probably all drink a good deal," Hastings shrugged. "I'll bet if there's a Frenchman, he would be up to it."

"The guy with the snuff?" Annette giggled. "That would be amusing."

"Hawk, let's go see if we can start something," Joanna sighed, moving towards the cabin door and walking out past the men. "Theo, if anyone tries to come aboard uninvited, shoot him."

"Aye, Captain," Theo saluted and then watched as Joanna and Hawk left the ship.

Thirty minutes later, Joanna had no idea how she and Hawk had done it. They had somehow managed to set up a challenge with the Brethren Court . Apparently, the pirates were in need of a little entertainment and some gambling, and so they were willing to bet Captain Teague against Joanna and Jack. Captain Teague himself had not been there, so Joanna doubted that there really would be any challenge, but all the same, she had agreed to return to the cove at 5:30 sharp for the duel. And she, for the first time in a very long time, was nervous. If both she and Jack were exceptional drinkers, and Teague was their father, then there was probably no way in all the Seven Seas that they'd be able to best him at a drinking game.

Jack hadn't been too hopeful about the challenge either, hearing that Teague would be involved. He went into a rave about how women were always bad luck and how it was very unsophisticated and unrefined to challenge one's _father _to a drinking game. And then he had started talking to his shoulders again, and he completely forgot that Joanna was even standing there as he went into near hysterics mumbling nonsense to his shoulders.

Joanna paced back and forth atop the _British Pride_, catching snatches of the conversations going on around her as she moved.

"I promise you, she'll be fine," Peter's voice said cheerfully as he watched Annette braid her hair.

"You can promise that, but it doesn't mean anything," Theo whispered back. "We don't need to lose any of our crew, and I am worried about the captains as well. Cpt. Sparrow is very clever, and I'm not worried at all about him, I suppose, but Cpt. Joanna is young and small, and I'm afraid she might get hurt."

"Jack is the one who has the plan to get them out of the cove, and I'm sure it will work," Adelinde piped up. "It _better_," she added.

"We need a second plan, in case this one fails," Joanna spoke up, and her crew turned to acknowledge her.

"I don't think there is any other plan we can use unless the first one backfires," Theo said knowledgeably. "We'll just have to see what happens. Do you need anything before we all go our separate ways? Is there anything we can do for you?"

"I would say give me a mug of rum," Joanna smiled slightly, "but that is hardly what I need right now. No, there's nothing I need."

"We'll keep an eye out for you and Cpt. Jack," Hastings said. "Would it be acceptable if Peter and I go ashore? We need to look around and see precisely what sort of people we are going to be dealing with."

"Go on," Joanna said, waving them away.

"I am certain things will work out for the best, Captain. They always do," Annette said softly from Joanna's side. "It's all just one big adventure."

"But where will the adventure end, I wonder?"

"With all of us, including Jack, safely aboard the _British Pride_, sailing out to safety."

"How can you be so certain of this?" Joanna frowned. "You know so little about pirates or fleeing for your life."

"Because in the short time I've known you, I've come to believe that you are a talented pirate who can escape from anything. From what I know of your brother, he is the same way," Annette shrugged, turning and walking away. "I have faith in both of you."

"For one so naïve, you have so much trust," Joanna sighed.

That evening found Joanna and Jack inside the ship of the Brethren Court , sitting side by side at a round table with all the other pirate lords and their guards standing around them. Captain Teague was nowhere to be found.

"This is a splendid beginning," Jack whispered to his sister, his breath smelling entirely of rum. "Whose brilliant idea was this?"

"One of your shoulders', I'm sure," Joanna scowled.

"My shoulders?" Jack frowned. "Did no one send for Captain Teague?"

"Teague is never in a hurry to get anywhere," Cpt. Vallenueva sniffed.

"He said he would come," Cpt. Jocard rumbled.

"If he doesn't arrive in the next two minutes, he'll owe myself and my comrade a handsome sum of money, say three hundred pounds each," Jack mused.

"Don't rush me, boy."

Jack visibly shrank back as Cpt. Teague entered the room, a guitar in one hand and a bag of coins in the other. He walked over to the table and sat down gracefully, like a cat, across from Jack and Joanna. His coal-darkened eyes moved from his son to the woman next to him, and he smiled slightly, almost looking like he wasn't smiling at all.

"How nice it is to have a flock of birds altogether at one table," he said, referring to Joanna's pirate flag as well as his and Jack's tattoos. "Are the two of you challenging me together, or are you each fighting for your own?"

"It would hardly be fair to go against you together," Joanna spoke up bravely.

"I think it'd hardly be fair to do otherwise," Teague rasped. "What are the stakes?"

"I'm willing to give you the _British Pride_, her crew, and everything aboard, should Cpt. Sparrow and I fail," Joanna said, and a light immediately appeared in Teague's eyes.

He knew. She could see it just from that mysterious sparkle. The pirate lord knew fully well that this wasn't about winning a drinking game, it was about her and Jack escaping. And he wasn't going to make that easy.

"Before I'm willing to gamble my wages of five hundred pounds," Teague spoke, turning his head to look to Cpt. Jocard and Cpt. Vallenueva, "I'd like to see if it's even worth my time. These two will go first."

"That's not right. Jack and I will both be intoxicated before we even start to drink against you," Joanna frowned.

"I'm good with it," Jack said casually, putting his hands behind his head.

"Jack!" Joanna hissed.

"What? I love rum! The more the merrier! Let's have at it!" Jack exclaimed.

"You really were half baked out in the sun," Joanna growled as glasses were placed on the table and were immediately filled with rum.

Vallenueva shot her a smug look as he sat down across from her, and Jocard grinned good-naturedly as amber liquid was poured into the glasses in front of them.

"I put in three hundred Spanish doubloons," the French lord spoke.

"And I'll add four hundred pounds," Jocard nodded.

"We'll wager seven hundred pounds," Jack said nonchalantly, watching as bags of money were placed on the table. "I'm assuming you've brought plenty of the bounty," he added, putting a hand on the back of Joanna's neck in a rather flippant manner. "Didn't you, love?"

"Oh, far more than that," she frowned.

"Let the drinking begin!" Jocard called, and the pirates started drinking.

Somehow, in between drinking and waiting for more glasses to be filled, Jack kept the money moving. He took Hawk's place for Joanna, taking bids and gathering money on the table as he drank. All of the pirates surrounding them were gambling away all of their loot, most of them betting on Jocard. Joanna didn't pay attention to anything but drinking. She didn't count the glasses of rum, accurately assuming that there were others doing that, but focused entirely on drinking. She gulped down one glass after the next, watching as Vallenueva somehow managed to daintily down one shot after another without so much as blinking. Jack was thoroughly enjoying himself, she could tell, and she was almost mad at him for it.

Fifteen minutes passed, and the room was getting very blurry, but Joanna pressed on. The wagers intensified with every glass that was downed, and no one showed any signs of backing down. When Jocard finally slammed his hand on the table in surrender, everyone finished the glasses they had been drinking from, and the drinking stopped.

"Ha! The girl and I win by half a glass!" Jack declared, gesturing to the small glass he was holding that was only halfway full.

"You don't win unless you drink the whole glass!" Vallenueva declared. "You thief!"

"Ah ha! Half a glass counts!" Jack insisted. "We're a full half glass ahead of you!"

"It doesn't play that way, Sparrow," Jocard scowled.

"Oh really? You mean to say I divulged half a glass of rum for positively no reason?" Jack frowned, sitting back easily. "Because, really, as you can see, half the rum is now gone, which means I certainly consumed it, and seeing as how that's one half glass short of what you have, that therefore declares me, myself, and I, as well as Cpt. Joanna, to be the winners. There's really no way you can argue with it. Even if the glass is half full, according to your tainted logic, to me it is half empty, which therefore means I drank more. Now argue with that! Ha!"

"The rules are you drink all the rum in the glass!" Jocard shouted, standing up and slamming both fists on the table.

"I did! I drank all the rum in half the glass!" Jack declared, getting drunkenly to his feet.

"Liar!" Vallenueva shouted.

"Daisy!" Jack yelled back.

"Thief!"

"Snuff sniffer!"

Vallenueva drew a gun, and Jack grabbed Joanna's shoulder as everyone in the room started pulling out their weapons.

"Do you dare defy the French?" Mistress Ching called. "That's an insult to them!"

"I like the French! They invented parlay and parsley!" Jack shouted. "And those ridiculous little black mole spot things they plant upon their face and deem as beautiful!"

Vallenueva fired his weapon just as Jack pulled Joanna to the floor.

"Time to leave, love," he grinned as the air was riddled with bullets and shouting. All the other pirates were already exceptionally drunk, and so the room immediately became filled with smoke and gunfire as the intoxicated people took aim at everyone.

Jack was able to walk outside quite easily, and he and Joanna stepped out into an immense wall of fog.

"Oh, nice," Joanna said, grabbing his arm as they quickly made way to the _British Pride_.

In the meantime, Annette had most of the cove chasing after her. Her long legs and clear mind kept her a safe distance ahead of the pirates, but they were beginning to think more coherently, and some of them, she knew were well in front of her, ready to block her flight. Guns were firing all over the place, and the woman could only pray that the fog would help her move in and out of any traps without being noticed.

She turned a corner and found herself falling into Jack Sparrow, who quickly righted her and grabbed her hand.

"No time to dally, love," he said, both to Annette and Joanna. "There is the brink. Once we get to the edge of the dock, jump. We'll have to swim a bit."

"Where are Hawk and the others?" Joanna demanded as they neared the water.

"Already in the water swimming. I told them to go on ahead and I'd catch up," Annette gasped, breathing heavily. "Tally ho!"

She jumped off the edge of the dock, landing with a splash in the water. There was a ship moving, not too far ahead, and the whole deck was aglow with lights. Joanna could just make out Hawk's form, being pulled out of the water and hoisted onto the deck, as she plunged into the water after Annette. Jack followed right behind, and all three of them moved hastily towards the _British Pride_. The enraged pirates of the cove were firing wildly, some of them even jumping in the water to follow after the escapees.

"Ye can't escape, Jack!" one of the pirate lords shouted from his ship high above the water. "We'll catch ye!"

Jack grinned as he grabbed a lone sail rope and was pulled up towards the _British Pride's _deck.

"Gentlemen!" he called, falling onto the deck and then standing up hurriedly. "This is the day that you will always remember as the day…"

"We don't have time for this!" Adelinde shouted from the helm. "They're coming after us in ships, Sparrow! Close the trap and keep it locked!"

Jack closed his mouth with a pout and moved towards the helm.

"I'll be taking my place then," he announced, walking up the steps.

"Oh no!" Joanna laughed. "It's my ship, and therefore I shall captain it."

"And you owe me, Jack! You've been hiding away for too long, and I want my pay!" Adelinde added to the dilemma.

Theo ignored them and sailed the ship towards the Devil's Throat, squinting to see through the fog. Cannons fired in the near distance, and a cannonball shot right through one of the sails.

"Jack, I did not rescue you just for you to take over my ship!" Joanna shouted over the gunfire.

"Hold on!" Theo ordered as the ship entered a swell and was rushed at full speed into Devil's Throat.

"And I wasn't rescued just to play first mate or passenger!" Jack shouted over the roaring rapids that flung the ship along.

Theo clenched his teeth and used the full might of his upper body to turn the helm, avoiding one rocky, threatening wall. He winced when he heard one of the pirate ships behind them crash against the wall and splinter into firewood. Everyone aboard the _British Pride _clung tightly to the ship, except for Joanna and Jack, who continued arguing over who would man the ship.

Theo voiced prayers aloud as he sailed in the pitch black of the cavern, barely avoiding crags and jutting rocks. His whole body ached as he sailed, and when finally the _British Pride _was thrust out of the cavern and onto the open ocean, he let out a long sigh of relief and rested against the helm, sweat trickling from his brow and down his shirt. He had never felt so weary in all his life, and he turned to the arguing captains with a sigh.

"We're back on the ocean," he announced. "I think we should begin our regular shifts. Peter, I believe, is on duty now."

Peter took the helm, and Annette called from her place at the railing, "Let's get something to eat!"

It was late in the night when Theo went back on the deck for his shift. He nodded to Peter, who promptly went into the hold to get some sleep, and then checked the course of the ship. They were moving in a northeast direction, at the orders of Jack, who was longing to go to Tortuga to gather more supplies, or so he said. Everything was peaceful now, and Theo sucked in a deep breath when he put his hands to the helm.

Every star was shining tonight, and he looked up. A shadow on the crow's nest caught his attention, and he turned his full attention to that location. He could see Annette up there, still in her breeches, sitting in the nest and letting her legs dangle over the edge of it. He could also see two wet lines dripping down her cheeks, and he frowned. He left the helm for a moment, knowing that the ship would stay on course for the time being, and then made his ascent to the crow's nest.

"Good evening," he spoke when he arrived at the top.

Annette hurriedly wiped away her tears as he took a seat next to her.

"Good evening," she returned the greeting.

"It's a bit late, isn't it?"

Annette smiled sadly and shook her head.

"Were I home, I would have been up this late," she said. "Tonight I was to be announced as engaged to Admiral Groves. My father wanted to hold a spectacular ball at the governor's home for the occasion. He even had chosen a gown for me. He was so excited about it all, and I fled and ruined his excitement."

"You say that you fled. How so?" Theo asked gently.

"I was afraid."

"Afraid of whom? Your father? Being married?"

"Of Admiral Groves," Annette whispered. "I didn't know him, Theo, and yet I was to marry him. I had heard how he was a good man, but that didn't mean anything to me. I was informed by many sources that his first love was the sea. I decided to run away to the sea, to see if perhaps it was as wonderful as he made it seem, that way, if we never came to love each other, we could at least share a love for the ocean. But I had a feeling overcome me, just a short while ago, when I was running, that is bothering me greatly."

He remained silent, waiting for her to continue.

"I have been told before by many women how they have jealousy when a man they love courts someone else or has a love for something that is far greater than they. I had never understood it until I had time to think. I came out here to see my competition, Theo. I was to be competing for Admiral Groves' affection, don't you see? He had a love for the ocean, and so I came out to see if I could overcome that and have a bigger place in his heart. But I can't compete. How can a woman compete with the ocean? The ocean is so beautiful and free, and no matter whether she is angry or happy, she is beautiful. She appeals to humans in a way that no other source can. How can I hope to ever compare to that?" Her voice choked, and she buried her face in her arm, not wanting him to see her tears. "How can I ever mean more to him than the ocean does?"

Admiral Theodore Groves of his majesty's navy and the East India Trading Company had never been more touched in his life, nor had he ever felt more blessed. This woman, so young and innocent, was far more concerned about pleasing her husband than she was about being happy. She was willing to come out on some wild adventure to try and find a solution to winning his heart, not simply to be rebellious and escape her father's wishes. That wasn't her attempt at all. She planned on going home as soon as she could, now that she had her answer. And she must have been so afraid that she could never take the place of the ocean in her future husband's heart. Ah, but she was wrong. He cared for the ocean dearly, but the ocean wasn't a soul. It wasn't something that could love in return, and so while Theo enjoyed the sea for its beauty and freedom, it in no way appealed to him as much as the woman at his side did.

"I think, Miss Taylor, that any man would be a fool could he not see the treasure you are and hold you dearer to him than the ocean."

"That's very kind of you," Annette sniffed, moving her face away from her arm again. "But I don't know how true that is."

"I think the admiral will adore you."

She didn't speak, but gazed out at the ocean, letting her tears dry against her face. Theo observed her quietly, not saying anything at all, and he stretched out his legs and stretched his neck before getting to his feet and speaking.

"I must return to the helm," he said quietly, "but before I leave, would you care to dance? I know you must miss your father tonight, thinking of how he was going to have that celebration for you, so perhaps I can comfort you somewhat with a dance?"

"That would be quite nice," Annette whispered, and she let him help her to her feet.

"I fear our dance floor is to be quite small, and our walls confined," Theo smiled gently as he drew her close to him. He realized then that she was still wet from her swim hours earlier, and she shivered as he wrapped his arms around her and drew her closer to his body heat. "You should have changed, my lady," he whispered against her ear. "You'll catch your death of cold."

"I hadn't much time," Annette said so softly that he could barely hear her. "Food had to be served."

He began to sway her gently, simply rocking her back and forth in his arms, keeping her close as the crow's nest offered little space. He wondered how she would react if he were to tell her what his mission was here and how very close she was to the man she was engaged to marry. Would she be more afraid? Would she resent him? She didn't seem like the kind of woman to reject someone because of the truth, but no, there was no reason to tell her now.

She was falling asleep in his arms, holding his shirt in her hands, warming beneath his touch.

"Miss Annette?"

She looked up into his face, and for a moment, he was lost. The starlight was playing with her eyes, and the wet drops of sea water in her hair were glistening beneath the moon. Her eyes were half closed with sleepiness, and Theo was unable to speak a word.

"Aye?" Annette asked wearily, her eyes studying his, noting how they had darkened slightly.

"The hour is late, my lady," he said, clearing his throat. "It would be best for you to get in some dry clothes and get to sleep."

"You are right," she said, sounding barely awake. "I am sorry to have disturbed you."

"You did not disturb me at all," he answered, watching as she pulled back and made her way down to the deck. "Not at all," he whispered as she disappeared into the hold.


End file.
